Sharp Teeth
by SableUnstable
Summary: Needing a new place to live quick smart, Remus finds himself looking through a rough little flat with a monthly rent to match. It isn't at all what he's used to. Then again, neither is the landlord. Modern Muggle!AU, WolfStar, SLASH. Rated M for language and adult content.
1. Chapter 1

**Sharp Teeth**

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing, no copyright infringement intended!

 **A/N –** So. Yes. WolfStar is still needed. And this _was_ planned to only be a one-shot. But... heh. That's not going to happen. ;) Hope you enjoy reading this first chapter as much as I did writing it! And as always, do let me know what you think! :D

* * *

 **Chapter One**

* * *

He opened the door in a pair of paint splattered sweatpants and nothing else.

Multiple tattoos and smooth, tan skin. Remus stood and stared, wide green eyes running slowly down over the sweatpants to knobbly feet and back up again, lingering on a flat stomach with its tempting trail, then moving over a long, lean torso and up onto a firm, ink covered chest, before pausing over wonderfully defined arms and shoulders that had him flushing and shifting on the spot. Mouth dry, he dragged his gaze upwards, very briefly distracted by softly sculpted lips, and was startled to find himself looking into the most amazing set of grey eyes he'd ever seen.

The most amazing set of _smirking_ grey eyes he'd ever seen.

"Something I can help you with, mate?"

A hot rush of mortified colour flooding his cheeks at being caught ogling, Remus's gaze dropped to the concrete steps he was standing on. "I-I-I'm h-he-he-" Frowning severely, he swallowed hard, sucked in a long, steadying breath and determinedly lifted his head. "S-sorry. Um, I'm h-here about the r-room. You have a room available? To r-rent?"

Sculpted lips pursed and a head full of thick, wavy black hair tilted. Those grey eyes now held just as much curiosity as they did laughter. The half-naked man leant against the doorframe and nodded.

"I do. Most folk ring first though. You've caught me indisposed, just showing up." He folded his arms and eyed Remus closely, making him feel like a bug under a microscope. The sandy-blond shifted again, uncomfortable, and had just opened his mouth to say that he would've called, if he owned a cell phone, when the man suddenly straightened up and shrugged, taking a step back. "No mind, I like the way you look. Let's do this."

He turned to the side and waved an arm into the flat. Remus pushed his glasses up and blinked a few times, an unsure frown wrinkling his forehead. After a moment, a jet-black eyebrow rose in question.

"Door's open, mate. Are you coming in to see the place or not?"

 _Oh, get over yourself, Remus! So the landlord's incredibly fit; so what? It's not about him, is it? Do you need a place to live or don't you?_

Jaw tightening, Remus stepped firmly over the threshold, only to pause when the man with his back to the doorjamb didn't move to allow him past. Another smirk grew when Remus's eyes flickered down the body absurdly close to him, then snapped up to the just as remarkable looking face before cutting away very quickly. With burning cheeks, he eased through the doorway holding his breath, unable to help the way his pulse jumped when his entire side all but slathered across the man standing in the narrow entranceway.

He swore he heard the bloke chuckle under his breath. Arrogant prat.

"So it isn't much. Just a kitchen, living room, bathroom and two bedrooms. But it's got a nice balcony and the rent's cheap. You got a job?"

"Student," Remus answered shortly, pushing his too-long curls out of his face and deliberately ignoring the man behind him as he wandered the sparse space. He was correct when he'd said it wasn't much. It was clear that a bachelor lived in the small flat, and it actually looked like he didn't live there all that much anyway. The curtains were still pulled and there was a layer of dust coating everything. "I work part time. I can pay, don't worry."

"Why're you looking for a place?"

Darting a look at the man, Remus headed down the hallway. "B-breakup."

"Ah. Door on the left's the room going."

The room was tiny. And dirty. Remus's nose wrinkled, and without even thinking out it he walked across the worn carpet to open the window wide before turning to survey the mattress on the floor, the sheets on it looking like they hadn't been washed in donkey's years. Random junk sat in piles around the room. A bunch of clothing in the corner looked like it could start moving any moment.

The man grinned lazily at the incredulous look Remus shot him. "My old flatmate will come and clean this up before a new one moves in. He's a little preoccupied with his girl at the moment."

"A _girl_ stayed here?" Remus muttered in disbelief, flushing when the man laughed. He hadn't meant for him to hear that.

"Not often, I'll admit. Lily insisted sleepovers happened at her place. And since sleepovers never actually involved much 'sleep', James didn't complain. It'll get cleaned."

"I should hope so," Remus murmured, taking one last look around the room. It wasn't at all what he was hoping for. "Is the rest of it this bad?"

"Relatively," the man answered, grin widening. Heat invading Remus's cheeks for what felt like the umpteenth time – why the bloody hell didn't his brain catch the words before they came out of his mouth? – he wandered back out into the main room. It took five minutes to see the rest of the flat, and his spirits were low when he opened the French doors that led off the squat little kitchen.

"O-oh."

"Yeah, this pretty much makes it worth it. Bloody amazing, right?"

There was a jungle behind the building. The flat was on first floor but had a number of steps leading up to the front door, so the balcony was raised off the ground a little. Nature existed prominently in front of that balcony, and while the view wasn't vast and endless, it was still rather spectacular. Remus felt like he was standing in the middle of the Amazon.

After never-ending stone and brick, fog and fumes, it was shockingly _freeing_ to stand there and breath in trees and brush and insects and rain-thick oxygen. Remus drew it in, a smile blooming.

He was still smiling when he turned to the landlord, the expression faltering at the look on his face.

"You have braces."

"Yes," Remus scowled, shoving his glasses up his nose as his lips rapidly pulled together over his teeth. Fucking things. He hated them. "What of it?"

"Nothing really, I've just never… how old are you?"

"Twenty-two."

The man hummed lightly, head cocking again. There was something in his eyes that made Remus's stomach lurch. Not liking the feeling, he dropped his gaze and strode past the man back into the flat. "How m-much a m-month?"

The answered figure shocked Remus a little, even knowing that it was going to be low. Still, it was definitely in his price range, which wasn't much with the urgency he'd had to scramble the money together, and he was pleased to know that he could afford the bond and the rent in advance. Just.

Besides, he couldn't afford to be picky, could he?

"So when you moving in?"

Eyebrows winging, Remus turned to his landlord. "You want me as a flatmate? Just like that? No references or anything?"

"Nah," the man replied, waving his hand with an easy smile. "I said before, didn't I? I like the way you look." The smile morphed into a smirk and his arms crossed again. Remus had to fight to stop himself gawking at the straining cords in his upper arms. "Might be best if you told me your name though, yeah?"

Eyes snapping up, the sandy blond blushed profusely. "Shit s-sorry! R-Remus. Remus Lupin."

"Nice to meet you, Remus Lupin," the man said, holding out his hand. "I'm Sirius Black. Move in whenever you like."

"O-O-O-k-kay," Remus blabbered, inwardly cursing the goddamn stutter. He usually had better control over it, but Sirius was…

Lips pressing together, Remus shook his head. Nothing. Sirius was nothing. Sirius was his flatmate slash landlord, and nothing more. He was no way near ready to open himself up to that sort of heartache again. And with that in mind, he headed for the door.

"Is t-tomorrow too soon? I need to get out of where I am."

"That's fine," Sirius answered, holding the door open for him. "I'll be here all day, and I'll tell James to get his arse here tonight and get the last of his stuff. Oi, Remus!" he called out after Remus had nodded and thanked him, stopping the man at the bottom to the steps. Remus turned and looked at him questionably.

"You shouldn't stop yourself smiling. The whole braces look is bloody cute."

The door closed and Remus stood on the sidewalk, face red and heart pounding far harder than it should.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sharp Teeth**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it.

 **A/N –** Next chapter, my lovelies! For relatively quick answers to questions and comments, do come find me on Tumblr (sableunstable) as I'm much, _much_ better at answering over there. :) Enjoy!

 _The door closed and Remus stood on the sidewalk, face red and heart pounding far harder than it should._

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Padfoot? You don't even know the bloke."

"So? Most new flatmates are strangers when they first move in anyway, aren't they? Please stop worrying, Jamie dear. The guy's a pussycat."

The voices floated out the open window, and Remus paused on the stoop of his new flat, a brow winging. A pussycat, was he? That was new. He'd been called many things in his life; nerd, try-hard, dork and loser just a few of some of the less offensive names. But he'd never been called a pussycat before. He wasn't sure how he felt about it.

"I'm not worried," the unknown voice said, his tone clearly contradicting his words. "That's Lily. I'm just trying to be sensible here-"

Loud laughter cut him off, a bark of sound that was deep and unnervingly rich. Remus swallowed, heat running up the back of his neck. "You, sensible?" Sirius answered with a chuckle. "Pull the other one, Prongs. You got into more trouble than I did in school!"

"It was about equal actually," the other voice grumbled, "and this isn't school anymore, Sirius. You trust too easily sometimes."

Figuring that the conversation was getting just a little too personal to be unwittingly eavesdropping on, Remus knocked on the door before Sirius could reply. There was a loaded silence from the window of the room Remus figured was his new one and the other voice's old one, and then heavy footsteps rapidly approached the door.

Sirius was smiling when he opened it.

"Remus, hey! You're early. You didn't have to knock you know, you live here now. Come in, come in!"

He was fully dressed this time. With his hair up in a bun at the back of his head, Remus's new flatmate looked just as good as he had the day before. The sandy-blond was somewhat expecting it however, so he didn't stand there dumbfounded with his jaw on the ground. He took in the dark jeans and dark red printed t-shirt in a much subtler glance, then deliberately looked away and stepped through the door.

Of course, that didn't mean his heart didn't start racing. Having his hair back defined Sirius's already sharp cheekbones further. The guy could've been a model, for god's sake.

"Jamie, come meet Remus!" Sirius called over his shoulder, picking up Remus's knapsack. "Is this all you've got? What about bedroom furniture and shit?"

"None of it was mine," Remus answered blandly as a guy with large, black-framed glasses and messily tousled hair walked out of the bedroom.

"What, none? The entirety of your worldly possessions fits into two bags?"

A blond brow rising, Remus gripped the strap of the other bag over his shoulder a bit defensively. "Got a problem with that?"

"No, 'course I don't. Never mind. Remus, this is James Potter, your predecessor. Prongs, Remus Lupin. Meet. Make friends. Be merry."

"Hi," the man said warily, holding out a hand _._ His entire body shouted suspicion, and Remus shook his hand with a hidden smirk at the bordering on unnecessary force being used on James's part. James scowled when he didn't squeeze back.

"Hi. Is my room ready?"

"Ah, yeah, sure," Sirius answered, a single crease between his brow. He waved towards the bedroom and Remus nodded and headed for the door, stopping abruptly in the doorway.

"Wow," he murmured, eyes wide as he took in the once grubby room. It was still small, tiny really, but it was now definitely _clean._ The piles of rubbish, clothes and other junk were gone, the air was fresh and no longer smelt and tasted like a combination of overripe socks and stale dust, and it actually looked like they'd tackled the walls and carpet. The mattress was no longer covered in less-than-clean sheets and was standing on its end against the wall. The natural light was still all but non-existent, but that was to be expected with only a single, tiny window in the room. It was a place to sleep; a roof over his head. And that made him rather happy.

"We've just got to get rid of the mattress and then we'll be done," James said, watching the blond as Remus turned back to them, his smile small but pleased. The crease in Sirius's brow deepened.

"Or we could just leave it. You know. If that's… easier."

"Leave it? No we can't!" James snapped, turning to Sirius with a look of disbelief. "That's my mattress! I don't want to leave it here! I spent years sleeping on that mattress!"

"Yeah, but you're sleeping in an actual _bed_ now, aren't you?" Sirius shot back, scowling. "With a co-sleeper! It won't hurt to leave it here, not when someone else can benef-"

"N-no one n-needs to leave anything here," Remus cut in, not sure whether he felt amused or annoyed at Sirius for obviously thinking he needed the charity. Which he did, but Sirius wasn't to know that. And Remus certainly wasn't going to take it from someone he didn't know. "Please don't fight. I've got it covered."

"You have?" Sirius questioned at exactly the same time James said, "Fight? Mate, you ain't seen nothing yet." Remus frowned and opened his mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by a rapid, jaunty-sounding knock.

"That'll be for me," he said instead, turning towards the door and then pausing before looking back at Sirius. "Do-o you mind…?"

"What? No, go ahead. As I said earlier, you live here now too."

"Right," Remus muttered, hesitating slightly before continuing. It felt strange to be in a completely different house and treat it like home. He was sure he was going to be awkward for some time to come.

Snorting under his breath, the sandy-blond turned the latch and opened the door. Oh, who was he kidding? He was going to be awkward twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Awkwardness was in his nature.

"Remmy, hiya! This is your new place? Em, I found it!"

A quiet grin tilting his lips and his stomach unknotting somewhat, Remus stepped onto the stoop. "Dorcas. Yes, this is it. Did you get the bed?"

The dark-haired girl smiled widely and clapped her hands, jumping on the spot a little. "Oh, I like! It's so retro!" Stretching up on her tiptoes and craning her neck, blue eyes were blatantly curious as they tried to peek into the flat. "What's it like inside? Can I see? Emmeline, you _have_ to see this place!"

"I can see it from here, Dory, and you'll see the inside a lot sooner if you do what you're here for and give me a bloody hand!"

His gaze moving over Dorcas's shoulder, Remus was down the steps in an instant and hurrying towards the tiny blonde girl standing on the back of a Ute, struggling with a bedframe. "Stop!" he snapped, climbing nimbly up onto the truck. "What do you think you're doing, Em?! You'll hurt yourself!"

"Oh, please," the blonde snorted, putting the corner of the frame down and throwing him a knowing smirk. "Like you'd do any better. We got it up the other end, didn't we?'

"There wasn't anyone there to help you?" Remus asked, unable to help the worried frown. Emmeline rolled her eyes.

"Just another incapable female. Stop fretting, papa bear. I've muscles, you know."

She grinned and flexed her distinctly un-muscly arms. Remus folded his own arms and shook his head.

"You know that I'd never dispute your capability, Em. You're more capable than I am. But why hurt yourself when five people can make the job much easier?"

"Five?" Emmeline repeated, following Remus's head nod to see Dorcas grinning at the two of them from the sidewalk beside the Ute, and Sirius and James standing on the top step, watching with interest. Bow-shaped lips pursed in thought before another smirk turned her brown eyes shrewd. She turned towards the flat and planted her hands on her hips.

"You lads just going to stand there gawking at us, or give us a hand?"

The words seemed to spring Sirius and James into action. The descended the steps quickly, James shoving his glasses up his nose and Sirius smiling in a way that could only be described as 'charming.' He stopped at the base of the truck and turned his dancing grey eyes on Remus.

Remus nearly swallowed his tongue.

"Who are these lovely lasses, Remus?" he asked, looking to Dorcas when she giggled and pretending to tip his hat. Emmeline's lips pursed a second time, and she shot a glance at Remus, her smirk nearly identical to one of Sirius's when she saw the heated colour in his cheeks. Remus narrowed his eyes back at her before answering.

Or trying to answer.

"S-Sirius, m-meet D-Dorcas M-Mead-dowes-s and Em-Em-Em-" Gritting his teeth, he stopped for a long moment and closed his eyes, dragging in a few deep breaths as he tried to calm his pounding heart. _Fuck._ "Um, E-Emmeline V-Vance. Dorcas Meadowes and Emmeline V-Vance. My workmates. Ladies, this is S-Sirius Black, my new lan-ndl-lord, and that's James P-Potter, a friend of his."

"I'm his flatmate actually, since that sounds nicer," Sirius spoke up, making the thick silence that followed Remus's abysmal attempt at talking very short. "Pleasure to meet you both. Let's get this lot inside, shall we? Pop down to the head, Remus, I'll take this end."

His shoulders stooped and his fringe falling down over downcast eyes, Remus shuffled down beside Emmeline, sending her a pained little smile when she took his hand and squeezed in comfort. His stutter was humiliating. It'd been terrible as a child, the cause of many a cruel taunt in school, but it'd improved a lot as he'd gotten older. By the time he'd reached sixth-form, he'd only stuttered when he was exhausted, flustered, or uncomfortable. It'd only been in the past month or so that he'd reverted back to stumbling over virtually every syllable, and although he knew the reason behind that, it still didn't make it any easier to accept.

He hated not being able to speak. He despised it.

Sighing internally, he took up his corner and they were soon moving the first load into the flat. It took three trips to clear off the back of the Ute as much they could after they'd moved the mattress out of the room. The room wasn't big enough to fit in everything the two girls had brought, but they did manged to get in a single bed, a small duchess and a good sized bookcase. Remus grimaced a little when he saw the empty shelves of the bookcase. He really needed to make the necessary trip and reclaim his books.

"I didn't realize the room was going to be so small, otherwise I wouldn't have brought the other duchess and the study desk," Emmeline huffed around a bottle of water as they stood in the middle of the main room, hot and sweaty. She pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her forehead, Remus following her example by taking off his beanie and using it mop the sweat before stuffing it in his back pocket. He gulped a long drink, running a hand through damp, matted curls and pushing his glasses back up his sweaty nose. "It doesn't really matter anyway; Nan won't mind getting them back… huh. Well, all right then."

"What?" Remus asked, frowning at her and then following her gaze, but not seeing anything but James with a look of resigned exasperation on his face and Sirius with his chin tipped to the ceiling, his hands folded loosely behind his back. Remus could just make out his lazy grin. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing Remmy, don't worry about it," Dorcas chirped, patting his shoulder indulgently, which only made Remus all the more confused. He was definitely missing something. "We could probably fit the desk in if we shift the bed against the wall. Em?"

"Yeah, but what about the chair?" Emmeline countered. Both girls put their bottles down and headed back to the room, stopping only when the realized the room's new occupant wasn't with them. "Remus?"

"Yeah, okay," he sighed, irritated. He wanted to rest and let them sort it out, but he couldn't do that, could he? Emmeline's grandmother had supplied the furniture at no cost, not to mention they'd both given up their day off to help him out. And it was his room after all.

Following reluctantly behind the two layout-discussing girls, he heard rather than saw James punch Sirius in the shoulder.

"Ow! What?"

"Really, Padfoot?"

"What?" the man repeated, and even Remus, someone who didn't know him from a bar of soap, recognized the far too innocent tone. "Don't look at me like that, you look exactly like your better half when you look at me like that. It's scary."

"Lily'll show you scary when she finds out about this, mate."

It was clearly a warning. Remus quickly closed the door on the escalating conversation and focused his attention on the two people he still felt comfortable with, determined not to get dragged into any more drama.

Sirius and what he may or may not have done wasn't any of his business.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sharp Teeth**

 **Disclaimer:** My name is not J K Rowling, so I must not own Harry Potter.

 **A/N –** I'm really like this chapter. Hope you all do too! Enjoy!

 _Sirius and what he may or may not have done wasn't any of his business._

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

* * *

It was a full week before Remus had any significant interaction with his flatmate. Between changing his address and cancelling his phone number at all the important places, fretting over whether he could afford to buy a new cell phone, working extra hours to _get_ the money to buy a new cell phone, and catching up on the school work the disruption in his life had made him miss, he didn't have any time to see the man other than first thing in the morning or late at night. A nod of his head and a small, polite smile was all Sirius got if they ran into each other, and while Sirius's smile was a lot friendlier, he seemed to understand and respect Remus's invisible boundaries.

Those boundaries changed rather abruptly one night when Remus couldn't sleep. It was three in the morning, and even though he knew he was exhausted, his brain would not shut up, his thoughts churning endlessly. Finally getting sick of lying in the tiny, airless room and stewing over problems he couldn't solve, he pulled himself out of bed with a groan and padded across the room, gingerly opening the door. He didn't know whether Sirius was a light sleeper on not but he didn't want to wake him up if he was.

The flat was dark, but that fact that it was a shoe box made it easy to navigate. Remus headed for the kitchen and the kettle. His hand had just touched the handle when a completely unexpected voice spoke out of the darkness.

"I've just boiled that."

" _Shit_!" Remus yelped, spinning around wide-eyed and spotting the French doors open a crack, the red flare of a cigarette visible in the gloom beyond. "Don't _do_ that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"

"So not speaking all together would've been a better idea?"

No moon and no glasses made the voice seem bodiless. Remus exhaled sharply and pushed the doors open a little further, just able to make out the shadow in the corner of the balcony. The cigarette flared again, giving enough light to show a reclining shape, what looked like bare feet resting on the balcony's edge.

If he hadn't recognized his voice, Remus would've been shitting himself.

"No, ah, I g-guess not," he said after his heart rate had slowed, cringing inwardly at how stilted he sounded. "I d-didn't mean to disturb you. I'll just head back to bed."

"All right. 'Night, Remus."

His hand was on the kitchen's doorframe when his conscience reared its head. Remus stopped, winced, and then sighed, steps reluctant and heart going a mile a minute when he turned back around. A palm against the side of the kettle told him that it needed to be reboiled, and he flicked on the switch, the atmosphere on the balcony taking on an extra stillness as the sound of it working flooded the kitchen.

"Um, do you m-mind… c-can I j-join you?"

He sensed Sirius's head turn. "Sure thing. Pull up a pew, mate."

Using the time it took to make the tea to compose himself – or at least order himself to _breathe_ – Remus wrapped his hands around the cup and nudged open the door. The clouds had moved, revealing the sliver of a moon, and Sirius's eyes were back watching their own personal jungle, murky and shrouded by darkness though it was. He had his smoke up to his lips, a mug sitting on a tiny table next to him, and it took Remus a moment of squinting to recognize the sweatpants he'd answered the door in that first day. His singlet was white, and that was the only reason the other man could tell he was wearing one.

"Can't sleep?"

Putting his mug down on the table, Remus edged carefully around to the other chair – part of a tradition cane outdoor set by the feel of it – and sat down. "No. Too much on my mind."

"Mmm-hmm," his flatmate hummed, picking up his mug and still not looking at Remus. After a moment that felt cringingly awkward to to the man next to him, he asked calmly, "wanna talk about it?"

"Oh. Erm, n-no thanks," the blond answered, surprise bringing his eyes to Sirius. The dark-haired man nodded, his smoke at his lips again. Remus grasped his mug and took a sip. His heart was still hammering

"So…" he tried, changing the subject and strongly disliking how hard it was to _talk_ to the man. He didn't know whether that was because their personalities clashed, or because the attraction he felt made him tongue-tied. If it wasn't for the fact that he had trouble talking altogether, to anyone, he would've said it was most likely the latter. "Sleep. You c-can't… ah, that is, you don't…?"

Sirius's head turned, and Remus thought maybe the corner of his mouth had lifted. "I'm a night owl," he said, his unbound hair a black blur as he shook his head. "I do most of my best stuff in the little hours and then sleep until noon. Don't have the worry of needing to earn, do I? I can afford the luxury. Partake?"

He said it in such a simple, matter-of-fact tone, it had Remus baffled. He wasn't bragging, and he wasn't putting down the majority of the population who _couldn't_ afford the luxury. He was simply talking about himself, like one does when they're getting to know someone.

It was so far out of Remus's experience that he gawked.

"Remus? Want me to doctor that for you?"

His voice suggested a frown. Remus blinked a number of times, face hot. "I can't see what you're shaking," he said, voice just a little too high as he eyed the swaying silvery blob. His gaze snapped up at Sirius's laugh.

"Blind as a bat without your glasses?"

The flush grew. "Yeah, pretty much."

"That's all right, James is the same," Sirius grinned. "It's a flask. Do you drink?"

"Um, y-yes."

"Hmm. I'm very pleased to hear that. This here's whiskey. Care to for a richer, fuller cup? I prefer my tea with a noteworthy amount of… body."

Maybe it was the night. Sirius's voice was low as it curled across the balcony, the words themselves innocent, the tone completely the opposite. Remus hadn't thought it possible to sexualize a cup of tea, but his flatmate had proved him wrong. Heat scorched down his neck and further, and shifting in the chair, he was suddenly very grateful for the dark and the roomy pyjama pants he'd worn to bed.

"No, no," he croaked, desperately clearing his throat and fastening his gaze on the rustling, shadowy trees. "I w-won't-t s-s-sleep. Later. N-now. If I d-do. Ta-ake that. Um. So I. N-no-o."

Sirius's slow smirk was both audible and physical, a sensual stroke along his skin. "That's okay. Another time maybe," he said, and then there was silence for a while that felt deliberate, allowing Remus time to screw his blown off head back on and pull himself together. It took some doing, but the steady burn of Sirius's fag and the air of nil expectation eventually had him somewhat comfortable again.

"So what are you studying?"

"History," Remus answered quietly, finishing off his tea and latching on to the safe subject. "Nearly done. I graduate this year."

"Got plans for after?"

The question had blond brows tipping in. "Um… I d-did… I g-guess not a-any longer."

His flatmate didn't say anything to that. Instead, he changed the subject again, and the conversation became light-hearted and easy; deeper than small talk but not by much. As Sirius rattled on about inheriting the flat from his late Uncle Alphard, his words from earlier swirled in Remus's head.

 _Another time maybe._

That sentence terrified Remus. He'd just gotten out of a relationship, one that'd lasted four years, and he couldn't even begin to imagine getting into another one. Not anytime soon. The ending had wrecked him, and not only because of the way it'd ended. Sirius had backed off this time, but what if he _did_ try again in the future? The very thought made his breath back up in his lungs.

They lived together. He couldn't do that. Not again.

His blood buzzed in his ears and Sirius stabbed out the butt of his cigarette. "That's me, I'm sorry to say. The night's a-wasting. Nice chatting to you, mate."

"Sirius!" Remus blurted when he got up and headed inside, the blur that was his body stopping in the doorway and turning back to face him. Remus licked his lips and opened his mouth, having to clear his throat when his voice cracked on the first word.

"About b-before. I'm n-not-t… um, I'm n-not interested. At all. S-s-sorry."

A pause that seemed years-long preceded Sirius's shrug. "That's cool," he said easily, leaning his shoulder against the doorjamb and folding his arms. "Friends it is then. But I'm going to keep up with the flirting occasionally if you don't mind, because you're extremely cute when you blush, and to be frank, you don't smile anywhere near enough. I really do like seeing those braces."

Cheeks blazing, Remus's fingers rose to touch his lips. "They're ugly," he murmured without thinking. Sirius's answering smile was soft.

"Nah, they're not. They suit you. You shouldn't let someone else's thoughts come out of your mouth, you know. Be your own person, mate. You might like him. I do."

The night swallowed Remus's breath as it rushed out of him. But as the doors closed and sandy-blond sat alone on the balcony in the middle of the night, it, nor he, could swallow his small, faintly nonplussed grin.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sharp Teeth**

 **Disclaimer:** Canonical Harry Potter, its characters and situations, do not belong to me.

 **A/N –** Hello everyone! Just a quick little chapter today. I just wanted to say a big thank you for the amazing support this story has received so far. You all rock! :D Enjoy and do continue to let me know what you think!

 _But as the doors closed and sandy-blond sat alone on the balcony in the middle of the night, it, nor he, could swallow his small, faintly nonplussed grin._

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

* * *

"So what's he like?"

Remus walked along the busy sidewalk, his saved for, _scrounged_ for, newly bought phone at his ear. It was eight in the morning and he was on his way to the university to try to get in some study time before his first class of the day. Because his contacts were on his old phone and he hadn't had the chance to save them anywhere else, he'd had to ring or text all that he remembered to let them know his new phone number.

In all honestly, there weren't many to call.

"Who?" he asked the person on the other end, someone who'd rung the instant he'd gotten Remus's text. Remus was very glad to hear from him.

"Who do you think, tosspot? Your flattie!" Peter answered, and Remus could almost hear him rolling his eyes. "He's a good bloke? Gay or straight?"

"You know I'm not going to answer that," Remus laughed, looking both ways before crossing the street.

"Because you don't want to or because you don't know?"

"Because it isn't any or yours or my business, is it?" the sandy-blond replied. He laughed again when Peter groaned. "He's nice, Pete. He's someone who took a stranger in with no references and very little background information. That's all you need to know."

Peter grumbled a little and then his voice turned sly. "Is it all _you_ need to know?"

Still laughing and feeling better than he had since the breakup, Remus walked onto campus. "Christ, you're such a bloody bird!"

"Excuse me? I'll have you know that I am a bloody _queen_!" Peter protested in a dramatic fashion. Remus chuckled, his childhood friend's smirk visible through the phone line. "No, seriously though. How're you doing, mate?"

A long sigh escaped as Remus headed for the library, the mood turning somber. "I'm… I'm doing okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he answered quietly, crossing the lawn and stopping at the steps, taking a seat as students milled around him. "It's hard. H-harder than I thought it would be. But I'm getting there. He hasn't contacted me so that's a bonus."

"Bit hard for him to contact you when he took your bloody phone," Peter muttered. Remus grimaced and shook his head.

"It wasn't mine."

"Still, the arsehole could've-"

"I don't want to go into that, Peter, please," Remus interrupted him, rubbing his temple with a thumb and forefinger. A headache was building. His best mate sighed.

"All right, fine. But you did take everything that _was_ yours, didn't you?"

"Pretty much. I h-have to go back for my books s-soon and then he'll be out of my life completely."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. "What, by yourself?"

Remus nodded, suddenly feeling tired. "Yeah. Don't have much of-"

"Nope."

"Pardon?" He frowned at the abrupt word.

"Nope, you're not going back to the house by yourself. I'm coming down."

"No, Pete, you don't have to do that," Remus protested, getting to his feet. "I can handle it."

"I know you can," Peter answered calmly, a rustling sound coming from his end and his voice growing distant for a moment. "But you shouldn't have to face that prick on your own, and you're not going to. I'll be there on Saturday. We'll make a night of it, yeah? I'll meet your flattie, we'll go get your books, and then we'll go out and celebrate you finally tossing the world's biggest twat with a couple of cold ones and I'll hole up the night on your couch. How's that sound?"

The relief Remus felt was vast and for a moment, his knees were wobbly. "Th-thank you," he whispered. Peter scoffed.

"As if I'd let you deal with that on your own. I gotta go, mate, but I'll see you on Saturday late morning, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Remus sighed. "But no bloody trying to scam on Emmeline! You can't fool me about what you're _really_ coming here for!"

"Ah, Moony, I can't help it if the girl loves me, can I?" Peter smirked. Remus snorted in response. "Really gotta go, though. See ya Saturday!"

"Bye, mate," Remus answered, smiling as he lowered the phone and hit the end button. The smile lasted for the rest of his school day. Truth be told, he was a lot more nervous about seeing his ex than he was admitting to himself, and not having to do it alone was a hell of a confidence boost. They'd go there on Saturday and then he'd be able to finally put that part of his life behind him.

He was behind the counter at _The Coffee Cap_ , the campus's resident coffee house, when the smile finally fell. Turning from working the coffee machine, he had a cup in hand when he looked up and met a pair of bright green, rather curious eyes. The girl with the long red hair was blatantly studying him, her slender figure clothed in a pale blue shirt and jeans – slender but for the slight but still quite obvious baby bump pushing the shirt out a little.

"Remus Lupin?"

Exchanging a quick glance with Dorcas, Remus handed the cup to the customer and cleared his throat. "Yes. Can I help you?"

The redhead smiled and held out her hand. "Sorry for just dropping in on you with no warning like this but my nosiness got the better of me. Lily Evans. I'm a friend of Sirius's and James Potter's girlfriend. I guess you could say I'm the reason your room became available."

Nerves hit him head on and he shot Dorcas another look. The girl eyed Lily then smiled at Remus reassuringly and turned to ring up another customer. Remus dragged in a breath, wiped his hands on his apron and took the one Lily was offering.

"Um, hi," he said awkwardly as they shook. Lily grinned.

"You're as cute as Sirius said you were. Got a break coming soon? I could do with an iced tea."

"Not really," Remus hedged, only to have Dorcas cut it.

"Yeah, he does. Take mine, Remmy. I'll go right after you get back."

"Dory, I can't-"

"Yes," Dorcas said firmly, shooting him a pointed look, "you can. It's only an hour. Sorry about that, ma'am. That's £4.50 please."

"So that's that then. I'll just be sitting by the door when you're ready."

"I'll bring over your iced tea!" Dorcas called after her. The dark-haired girl's smile was mischievous when she turned to Remus during a break between customers. "What are you waiting for! Go!"

"But why's she h-here?" Remus asked, peeking over the coffee maker anxiously. Lily was sitting facing him, her phone in her hands. She was frowning down at it as she tapped away. "It doesn't-t make s-sense. She doesn't even kn-know me."

"Well, I guessing that's something she wants to change," Dorcas said with a smile, patting him on the arm. "Go, I'll bring you over your bagel and a pitcher of iced tea."

Remus swallowed and nodded, taking off his apron and hanging it on the coat hanger. "Just call if you need me."

"I won't. Go, go!"

All but shoved out from behind the counter, Remus approached the table slowly. Lily looked up when he pulled out the chair. She smiled at him and sat her phone down on the table, ignoring it when it buzzed.

"So. Didn't expect to get ambushed out of the blue today, did you?" she asked, laughing a little when Remus cracked a smile and shook his head, his hair falling over his eyes when his gaze dropped. "Yeah, sorry about that. But I've heard so much about you that my curiosity was roused."

Remus blinked and looked up. "You h-have?"

"Yup," Lily answered, smiling up at Dorcas when she set Remus's bacon and egg bagel, the iced tea and two glasses on the table. "Thanks. How much is that?"

"No charge, it's on the house," Dorcas replied, waving a hand when Lily went to protest. "No, I insist. Sirius and your man are decent blokes and there aren't many of those left out there. Why shouldn't you reap the benefits?"

The slow smirk that took over Lily's face had mortification blazing into Remus's.

"Oh, believe me, love, I already do," she said, smirk growing when Dorcas laughed loudly.

"I can see that," Remus's friend chortled, nodding down at Lily's bump. The redhead grinned and smoothed her hand over it. "Can I bring you anything else? Something to eat maybe?"

"Oooh, I'd love a custard square," Lily answered eagerly. Dorcas smiled, rubbed Remus's back and went off to get it. Lily sent Remus a cheerful smile.

"You've got some good friends, Remus Lupin," she said. Remus grinned a little.

"Yeah," he said, Dorcas's silent support making him sit up a little straighter as his mind went to his conversation with Pete. "Yeah, I do."


	5. Chapter 5

**Sharp Teeth**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own anything that resides within the Harry Potter franchise.

 **A/N –** Good evening my lovely readers! I must thank you all for the plot bunnies the guesses of who Remus's ex is have inspired. You'll see those plunnies begin to make their move in this chapter, so read and enjoy and do tell me your thoughts at the end! Inspire me more! :D

 _"Yeah," he said, Dorcas's silent support making him sit up a little straighter as his mind went to his conversation with Pete. "Yeah, I do."_

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

* * *

By the end of his break, Remus had decided that Lily Evans was quite spectacular. She was very friendly and certainly liked a laugh, but was also intelligent and incredibly well-read, and Remus felt like he'd known her for years by the time she checked her watch, abruptly reminding him that he had a time limit. After securing a promise from him to attend a Renaissance fair with her the following weekend – "I'll likely murder James in his sleep if I drag him along and he spends the whole time whinging like he did last time," she said with a wry grin, rolling her eyes, "and I do want this baby to have a father," – Remus headed back to the counter and met Dorcas's expectant brow arch with a small grin.

The grin morphed into a bemused frown when she practically squealed and then literally clapped her hands and bounced up and down on the spot.

"Feminine approval? Check! Now you need to get her bloke on side!"

"I'm not trying to get anyone on side, Dory," Remus said, but the girl ignored him and went off on her break with her phone already in hand, thumb flying across the screen as she texted Emmeline. Remus spent the rest of his shift with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He really hoped the girls weren't plotting anything. He didn't want the complication of that.

Knowing Dorcas and Emmeline, however, he was probably worrying unnecessarily. They wouldn't do anything to make him uncomfortable.

The week sped along far too quickly after that. Remus didn't really get much sleep as Saturday approached, anxiety swimming through his dreams when he did manage to nod off. He didn't want to see his ex again; the very thought had his palms sweating. But he had to do it to make a clean break and he wasn't going to be doing it alone, something he was very grateful for.

His steps were eager when 11 o'clock rolled around and there was a knock at the door. He swung it open and smiled the widest he had since before he'd abruptly had to find a new home.

"Moony!" Peter shouted, launching himself through the doorway before the door was fully open and hitting Remus in a full body tackle, knocking them both to the ground. A loud laugh escaped the man being crushed, more following as his best mate in the entire world wrapped his arms and legs around him and clung as if he wasn't ever letting go. Remus's arms lifted and he hugged Peter back, feeling buoyant with happiness.

In the four years he'd lived in London, he'd only seen Peter three times, the last time being two years before. Which was entirely his own fault, wasn't it? Guilt wound its way through the buoyancy and he hugged a little harder, mentally berating himself.

Why had he put up with that for so long? Why the bloody hell had he let someone else run _his_ life?

"Oh, sorry. Don't mean to intrude."

The tone of voice contradicted the words completely, and Remus's eyes snapped up to see an upside-down Sirius standing in the doorway of his room, eyeing the two men with the tiniest of frowns. Feeling heat rush into his face, he pushed at Peter, who'd looked up as well and was gawking at Sirius, expression blatantly curious. Glancing down again, Peter smirked, flicked another quick look at Remus's flatmate, and then bloody well had the gall to _wink_ at the man he was still stubbornly lying on top of, despite Remus's increasingly becoming frantic attempts to get him to move.

"You need to get some meat on them bones, Moony. You'd be a much cuddlier cushion if there was more of you to cuddle," he said cheerfully, clutching at Remus tighter. Remus's eyes narrowed, and in a swift move that stopped just short of hitting Peter right where it hurt, he brought his knee up. Peter froze.

"Seems you've got more than enough for both of us, _mate_ ," he retorted, kneecap very gently nudging. His friend's stillness didn't last long, however, and Peter was soon smirking again, although he did, rather carefully, get to his feet, avoiding Remus's knee at all costs. Remus sucked in a breath as the man's sizable bodyweight lifted off him, then took Peter's hand and allowed himself to be hauled up off the floor. Peter grinned at him and waggled his eyebrows in an expression Remus had seen so often in the past, another wide smile appeared against his will. Remus laughed and stepped forward to fold the man up in another back-slapping hug.

Screw what Sirius thought. Screw what _anyone_ thought. He'd allowed someone else to dictate who he kept in his life for far too long.

He pulled away when he felt Peter snicker against his shoulder, a question in his eyes. His best mate shook his head, pale blue eyes dancing, then stepped around Remus and marched across to the doorway Sirius was still standing in, stopping directly in front of the man. His hand sprang up.

"'Allo, mate. Name's Peter Pettigrew, Remus's long-time and most brilliant BFF. Gonna make the obvious leap here and presume that you're Sirius Black, the tall, dark and handsome landlord?"

Remus's cheeks flamed, and slowly, Sirius's surprisingly wary expression transformed into a quietly laughing smirk. He took Peter hand in a firm grasp.

"I'm his flatmate, yeah. Nice to meet you, Peter."

"No, nice to meet _you_ ," Peter replied, his handshake enthusiastic. "You put my Moony up, no questions asked, when he needed a place. You're a bloody decent lad, Sirius Black. Thanks for that."

Sirius's temple puckered. "No worries," he said in an absent tone, gaze moving from Peter to Remus and then back again. "Sorry, did you say… your _Moony_?"

If his face got any hotter, Remus was sure it'd become a second natural source of light. He groaned under his breath, cringing at Peter's loud snort of laughter. The rotund man in the bright orange Hawaiian shirt bounded over to him and swung his arm around Remus's shoulder, squeezing hard enough to briefly lift Remus off his feet.

"See, the one thing you've got to know about Remus here, Sirius, is that the boy can't ever resist a dare," he said with a sunny smile, thoroughly unperturbed by the pointed glare on his best mate's face. "As a result, he's been called Moony by practically our entire hometown since he was thirteen years old. You may call him that too. He loves it, don't you, Moons?"

"I hate you."

"Oh, stop it you, you're making me blush," giggled Peter, slapping Remus's shoulder and batting his eyelashes in such a simpering fashion, it had another smile breaking through. Peter grinned back and reached up to ruffle Remus's hair, chuckling fondly when the taller man rolled his eyes and ducked away. "Blimey, I've missed you, Rem."

It was like air escaping a balloon. The mood turning sombre, Remus bit his bottom lip and shuffled on the spot, guilt and remorse eating at the elation. "I-I've mi-issed-d you t-too. P-Peter, I'm… shi-shit. Um. I'm s-sorry, Pete."

Peter scowled. "What are _you_ sorry for?" he demanded, stabbing a finger at Remus. "It's the fuckwit's fault, not yours. Everything's the fuckwit's fault, all right? All _right_!?" he repeated when Remus stayed silent. His best friend looked down, brow furrowing. Peter sighed.

"Speaking of which, you ready to go?"

Remus swallowed. "Yeah," he muttered, turning to grab a navy blue hoodie off the top of the couch, the zipper reaching his chin and the deep hood pulled low over his ears. "Let's get this over with."

"Where are you going?"

Both men having forgotten they weren't alone, Remus and Peter turned as one to find Sirius watching them, eyes shrewd but expression casual. Peter grinned at him immediately and opened his mouth to answer. Remus bet him to it.

"We're going to my ex's place so I can get back the last of what's m-mine. Peter's here as moral support. He'll be staying the night. If that's all r-right with you."

Peter's smile turned genuine. Seeing it, the corner of Sirius's mouth turned up and he shrugged. "Fine by me. I'll make up the couch, although I warn you, mate, we're short on worthy blankets."

"Remus's are worthy enough for me," Peter quipped, looking at Sirius, then half snorted, half yelped when Remus elbowed him in the stomach. "Oi! What was that for?"

"You're not stealing my bedding," Remus deadpanned. "I need it. Come on, let's go."

"We're going out for a pint or twelve after if you want to come? Moony says you've met Dory and Em and he's met and quite likes your mate's bird. Lily, is it? We're making it a right knees-up, you and your lot should join, yeah?"

" _Peter_!"

"All right already, I'm coming!" Peter grumbled, following Remus out onto the street. Throwing his friend a look, he rounded the boot of a fire engine red Volkswagen Beetle and climbed in the driver's side. Remus took the passenger seat.

The looks continued the closer they got to the house, growing progressively more worried. Remus didn't say much during the drive, the scenery steadily changing as they approached a much more well-to-do part of town. He couldn't. His heart was in his throat and it felt like he was taking ten steps back, going back to the place he'd considered home from the moment he'd moved to London at eighteen. He'd told himself – and everyone else – that moving in with a man he'd only known and been with for a couple of months had been all about practicality. It saved money, didn't it? And he'd been in love. Wasn't that all that mattered, he'd repeated over and over?

His face was stony by the time they pulled up to the gates. The car slowed and Peter looked over at Remus for the umpteenth time.

"Rem?"

"Press the button."

"We can go if you want-"

"Just press the fucking button, Peter."

Peter rolled down the window with a grimace, but before he could alert the house that they had visitors, the house spoke first.

"You do not have an appointment, Lupin."

Remus's eyes closed in dismay as that lofty, sneering voice came through the intercom. Pressing two fingers to his temple, he blew out a breath and determinedly opened them again, leaning over Peter to speak out the window.

He hated that voice. Hated it with a passion.

"S-Severus. I'm only h-here to pick up what I left behind. Let me in and I'll be gone and out of your hair before you know it."

"Greasy, disgusting snatch though it is," Peter muttered. Remus shushed him, a single swipe of his hand cutting through the air, and he sat back with a petulant expression.

"You are aware that unexplained and unwanted guests are not allowed on the property without making prior arrangements," the speaker box sneered. Remus gritted his teeth.

"Five minutes. That's all I ask." His gut churned, his next words burning it like acid. "Please, Severus. I w-want th-this to be over. Probably j-just as much as y-you d-do. You don't have to see me and h-he doesn't even h-have to know I'm here."

The answering silence stretched for so long, Remus thought he was going to be turned away until the speaker box crackled again.

"Mr Crouch isn't in residence. You will be seeing me."

Bile flooded his throat. _Oh God._ "So-o you'll l-let m-me in?"

There was no reply from the intercom but the gate beeped, long and low, and swung slowly open. Remus sat back and turned his head, eyes glued on the long, winding driveway, extensive perfectly kept lawns surrounding it.

He'd always told Barty that the driveway needed its own street name, it was so long. The house had its own name, why shouldn't the driveway?

"All right, Rem?"

Jolting, Remus darted wide eyes to the man next to him, Peter's hand folding around the balled-up fist resting on his tense thigh and squeezing. "Yeah," he breathed, sucking in a shaky breath and deliberately squaring his shoulders, turning his hand over to squeeze back. "I'm good. I'm fine. Let's do this."


	6. Chapter 6

**Sharp Teeth**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not. Own. Harry Potter.

 **A/N –** A very short chapter but it ended where it wanted to. Please let me know your thoughts at the end, and remember, if you have questions, look me up and ask on Tumblr. That way you'll get an answer. :) Enjoy!

 _Jolting, Remus darted wide eyes to the man next to him, Peter's hand folding around the balled-up fist resting on his tense thigh and squeezing. "Yeah," he breathed, sucking in a shaky breath and deliberately squaring his shoulders, turning his hand over to squeeze back. "I'm good. I'm fine. Let's do this."_

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

* * *

The driveway seemed to have grown in size. Remus didn't say a thing as they made their way along it, Peter watching him almost as much as he watched where he was driving. If Remus had been able to think about anything but the four years he'd spent in the house he'd up until recently considered his permanent home, he might have scolded his best friend for not paying attention. But as they turned the last corner and the house loomed large out the front windscreen, all he could think about was Barty.

However much he'd ruled the roost and made Remus despondent much more than he'd liked, Remus couldn't deny that the man had changed his life. Not so much in big ways – although there were many people who'd said he'd changed from the moment he'd met Bartemius Crouch Jr. when he'd come to look at real estate in Remus's hometown, the summer after Remus had completed his A-levels – but having a man ten years his senior show interest in him had given him a much-needed boost in confidence. He'd been seventeen. And although nothing physical had happened until after his eighteenth birthday – a fact that he now knew had been deliberate on Barty's part and had him grimacing in distaste – it'd felt like to his young, hormone-riddled brain that they'd had a connection from the very first moment. Which had led to Remus being absurdly comfortable and more than willing to move in with Barty when the man had offered so charmingly.

It'd all been… he didn't know what it'd been. A game? Perhaps. He'd thought Barty loved him. He'd been _sure_ Barty had loved him. But then he'd walked in on something he'd never in a million years thought he'd witness and everything had gone to shit.

 _Had it? Or had it always been shit and you were just determined not to notice?_

"That horrid little prick isn't ever going to get any more attractive, is he?"

The rather nasty observation made in such a cheerful tone had Remus pulling away from his thoughts and looking over at Peter, before following his gaze and seeing Snape standing at the bottom of the front steps. Wearing an expensive three-piece suit, he stood, straight as an arrow, with his hands behind his back, the intimidating house his very large shadow. The sneer on his face was subtle, just visible in the pull of his mouth.

It screamed from his eyes. Remus gritted his teeth and gripped the door handle hard as the car pulled to a stop.

"I can do it," Peter murmured after a moment when Remus gave no sign of going any further. "I'll be in and out in a jiffy and you won't even have to talk to the fucker."

"I've already spoken to him, though, haven't I? Besides, I'm no coward."

"Sometimes cowardice is healthier in the long run," came the quiet reply. Remus blew out a breath and shook his head.

"Not this time," he said and pushed the door handle down. Peter didn't answer but his door opened at the same time and he was a step behind Remus when he climbed out of his seat and stood very briefly beside the car, his eyes on Snape. The man was as sallow-faced as ever, his nose a beak and his dark eyes wintery, and for some reason it was those tiny, unchanged details that got Remus moving.

Pillsbrook Hall was intimidating in its sheer size and grandeur. Barty had been intimidating when he'd first met him, and if he was being honest with himself, the man had never stopped making Remus nervous in one way or another. But the vile, pathetic little man in front of him had gone out of his way to tear down and alienate Remus from the moment he'd moved into the house. Remus had only very recently figured out that he hadn't been the only one out to destroy his self-confidence, deliberate or not, but he'd been the one who'd been the most obvious right from the beginning.

He had many, _many_ mixed feelings about Barty, a lot of them negative. But Snape? He utterly loathed Snape.

"Lupin," Snape drawled icily, lip curling up just a tad when his eyes flicked to Peter. "Pettigrew."

"Tiny-pricked wanker," Peter returned in a bright tone, eyes wide. Remus stifled a snort.

"You have your five minutes," Snape continued after a withering look at Peter that should have turned him to stone. "Not a moment longer. I will be watching you the entire time and if you so much as attempt to leave this house with something that isn't yours, I will have you arrested for theft before you can leave the property. Do I make myself clear?"

Remus wet his dry lips. "As b-bloody mud. Can we get this over-r and done w-with?"

"Proceed," Snape said, inclining his head politely and stepping to the side. His smirk was minuscule. Remus gave a jerky nod and walked up the multitude of steps, catching Peter giving Snape a jaunty salute out the corner of his eye.

The inside of the house was a catacomb. Remus had always hated how precise and exact and completely devoid of life it was. It had an empty and unlived-in feel to it, not a speck of dust in sight. It was a showroom home and Remus moved through the cavern-like rooms with their picture-perfect accessories, trying his best not to linger as memories of happier times assaulted him.

He paused only once. Coming to a dead stop in the entranceway of the dining room so quickly, he swayed, his eyes locked on the large dining room table. It was polished to a gleaming shine and his heart slammed against his chest as his mind replayed him walking into the dining room on the day he'd ended his relationship with Barty and seeing the man he loved fucking Severus Snape into the table so hard, Remus hadn't been sure whether Barty's long-time personal assistant had been whimpering from pleasure or pain.

"We had it professionally cleaned. Don't you think it looks better for it?"

His lungs were frozen. It hurt very badly to see that, to remember that, and even though he was gradually beginning to grasp the fact that he was better off without Bartemius in his life, it still tore him to pieces. Four fucking years. He turned as if his bones were made of glass and the now full-blown _smirk_ on Snape's face had his vision turning a violent red. His fists clenched.

"Rem."

" _Fuck_ you, you absolute arsehole," Remus blurted, breathing hard. Snape's eyes glittered smugly and with Peter's gentle tugging, Remus turned away from the man who brought about the end of a significant period in his life and slowly continued through the house, his mind a mirror of his sickly churning gut.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sharp Teeth**

 **Disclaimer:** Everything that exists within J.K Rowling's world belongs to J.K Rowling. I'm just having a bit of fun with it.

 **A/N –** This is much longer than it should be, but I'm hoping no one will have any complaints, lol. A massive big thank you to **Worthfull1** for being an amazing person, putting up with my insecurities and helping me work through them. Love you lots, my dear! :)

 _"_ _Fuck_ _you, you absolute arsehole," Remus blurted, breathing hard. Snape's eyes glittered smugly and with Peter's gentle tugging, Remus turned away from the man who brought about the end of a significant period in his life and slowly continued through the house, his mind a mirror of his sickly churning gut._

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

* * *

It didn't take long to make his way through the house. Keeping his eyes fixed firmly in front of him and not on the seemingly endless rooms with their seemingly endless memories, Remus headed up two flights of stairs and turned right on the second landing, walking down the hallway quickly until he reached a doubled-doored room, the antique brass handles throwing his reflection back at him. The oak doors were whisper-silent as he pushed them open and the scent of the room he stepped into had him stopping in much the same way as he had in the dining room entranceway.

Lemon polish and books. Remus's eyes prickled as he drew in a slow, shaky breath, only distantly aware of Peter and Snape entering the room behind him. Many happy times had happened in the room he was in. Books of every length, width, colour, _subject_ lined the walls, stopping just before the touched they high ceiling. The library was categorized within an inch of its life, a living, sometimes he thought almost _breathing_ example of the Dewey Decimal System, and it was Remus's favourite place in the world.

 _Used to be_. The thought was sad and just a little bittersweet, making his heart heavy and his steps slow. The simmering anger that had fuelled his trek through the house banked slightly, still there but no longer controlling his thoughts, and as Remus moved into the stacks, the memories became too strong to ignore.

" _One would think that you enjoy this room more than you enjoy our bedroom,"_ Barty had commented to him once, sitting straight-backed and leg-on-knee on the chaise lounge under the window, watching Remus with an odd little smile as his young lover had flitted into the stacks again, coming out with books piled high in his arms. Remus had looked over at him absently and found himself flushing at the very attractive picture his boyfriend had made in his just-barely ruffled business suit, cognac coating the bottom of his crystal tumbler. Then his words had registered and Remus had rolled his eyes

"' _Course I don't, you nitwit,"_ he'd said, getting up and throwing himself down beside Barty, sighing when he'd wrapped his arm tightly around his shoulder and tucked him close. _"That's a different kind of enjoyment entirely."_

" _Right. Well, this 'nitwit' thinks that someone needs a reminder of exactly how enjoyable his bedroom can be,"_ Barty had stated, lifting Remus's chin up and staring into his eyes with a strange sort of intensity that, at the time, Remus had found breathtakingly sexy. _"Come to think of it, here's better, don't you agree?"_

He'd then leant down and kissed Remus before the other man could voice approval or protest. Sometime later, with Remus sprawled on the floor on this stomach, eyelids drooping in exhaustion and his bare skin just beginning to chill in the unheated room, he'd rested his head back on his arm and smiled up at the ceiling with a particularly triumphant expression.

" _Now you won't be able to come in here without remembering my own special brand of enjoyment, hmm?"_

Blinking himself back to reality, Remus rolled his shoulders, uncomfortable at the memory. He hadn't recognized it for what it was then, but that had been the first year in their relationship and he'd still been achingly naïve.

And stubborn. Christ, he'd been stubborn.

Gritting his teeth, he weaved his way to the very back of the library, where most of the old and distressingly shabby books were kept, stopping when he came to a small section of shelving in a dimly-lit corner. A small smile tugged at his lips as he crouched down and ran his fingers along the middle of three tiers, scraping dust off the spines and sighing. It was funny, but seeing _his_ books, kept out of the main catalogue and treated like they were just insignificant paper and ink, had him feeling more complete than he'd felt in a very long time.

"Did you happen to think about how you're going to haul that drivel out of here, Lupin?"

The far too amused drawl felt like adding wood to an almost out fire. Remus's spine straightened and the acidic look he sent over his shoulder hid his mortified wince.

 _Bugger it all to hell. Why didn't you think of that, you daft twit?_

"It isn't drivel. And you can find the charity within you to provide a fucking box, can't you?"

"This isn't my household," came the immediate answer. Remus snorted under his breath.

"You sure about that?" he muttered, shaking his head, then saying louder and much more derisively, "don't worry yourself so, Severus. I'll handle any fallout, won't I?"

"Where are you going?" Snape snapped when Remus rose to his feet and headed back towards the door, Peter still his tale. "Lupin, I did not say you could have a box! I will ring the police!"

"Yes, but as you just s-said, this isn't your household, so you don't really have any say over what I take and what I don't," Remus pointed out, trotting down the stairs and making his way towards the back of the house. Peter grinned at him and then turned around and walked backwards for a few steps, cocking his head up at a thunderous-looking Snape and smiling widely.

"But do go ahead and call the Garda, fuckface. I think we'd both enjoy watching them laugh themselves sick when you bluster your way through a report about the despicable thief that nicked the cardboard box."

"I'll have you arrested for trespass!"

"Ah, yes. But not your house, is it?"

Ignoring the half-apoplectic, half-delighted pissing match, Remus walked out onto the patio and rounded the kidney-shaped pool, heading out onto the grounds. Crossing perfectly trimmed lawns, he followed the steadily growing louder sounds of equine animals, pausing briefly to smile at the two mares when they looked up at his approach and took slow steps towards the fence, recognition in the stretch of their necks and their soft whinnies. Although he'd never had much to do with the horses, Remus still thought fondly of them, and he hovered a little longer than was wise, running his hand over their velvety noses.

"Gooday to you, ladies. Is Robinson around?"

"Right 'ere, kid. Not back, are ya?"

The gruff voice had Remus turning, his smile warm. Edgar Robinson – or simply 'Robinson' as he insisted on being called – had been around for almost as long as Remus had been alive. He'd taken care of Bartemius Crouch Sr.'s animals and he took care of his Bartemius Crouch Jr.'s animals – _his_ animals, really. He was short and bow-legged, a salty old codger both in physical appearance and temperament, with a confused jumble of an accent that Remus had given up trying to place long ago. He was one of Remus's favourite people.

"No, no, just popping in to get the last of my stuff," he answered, secretly amused when Robinson nodded decisively, approval radiating off him, then leaned against a post and squinted at Snape before quickly grunting in dismissal. The sour-faced wanker hadn't said anything more but was still hanging around like an unfortunate bowel movement that wouldn't be flushed, ready to pounce if even a blade of Barty's grass was trampled too much. The image of a lapdog with Snape's pinched snout flashed through Remus's mind's eye, and Peter's expression was curious when he stopped next to Remus to slap him on the shoulder and greet Robinson. Remus shook his head and tucked away his grin.

Now really wasn't the time for entertaining diversions.

"Speaking of wh-ich," he continued, turning his attention back to Robinson and dismissing Snape as well, something he was sure would piss the git off to no end. "Do you still have those boxes stashed away for a rainy d-day? Can I bor-row a couple?"

Robinson clucked his tongue and tugged down the brim of his cap. "Nah, kid, boss'em had me clean 'em out. Got some good rucksacks goin' though, if ya like. Drop 'em off later and share a nip, eh? Ol' time's sake?"

Chest aching with a bizarre combination of grief and happiness, Remus smiled, the largest of the day. "I'd l-like that. B-b-but not-t he-re. You can co-me t-t-to my new fl-flat-t."

"Sounds good ta me," Robinson said, pushing himself off the post and nodding his head towards his quarters attached to the back of the stables. "Come'n then, lad. Get this over with."

Remus drew in a breath. "Yeah," he muttered, "let's do that."

Robinson grinned a cracked and toothless grin, then turned to tromp across the grounds and into the stables, Remus, Peter, and the heavy, black, stubborn cloud that was Snape following. Forcing himself not to overtake the old man – the sudden urgency to do what Robinson had said and _get it over with_ was hard to ignore – Remus waited impatiently as Robinson shuffled into his quarters and seemed to take a long time looking for the bags, finally coming back out with three in his hands and obviously something on his mind. His face shifted thoughtfully as he pondered whatever it was, and Remus huffed under his breath, itching to get his books and leave.

"Sorry I can't h-hang ar-r-round, R-robins-s-s-son but I have-ve to go," he said, already turning towards the door. He'd taken three steps when a familiar-yet-not yowl smacked him in the face and stopped him in his tracks.

"Minerva," he breathed, sudden and shocking guilt flooding him so quickly, his head spun. Whipping towards the sound and eyes probing the dark corners of the stables, Remus cursed himself every which way from Sunday.

How could he have forgotten? How could he have abandoned her like that?

What the hell was a spoiled, pampered house cat, who'd lived and been treated like a queen her entire life, doing _outside_?

"Minerva!"

"She's 'ere, kid."

His steps rapid and loud, his heart louder, Remus hurried into the furthest horse stall and came to another abrupt stop, breath leaving him in a rush. With Robinson crouched beside her, the black and white tabby was curled up on clean straw in the corner, looking strikingly different to the last time Remus had seen her. Minerva had always had a lean, wirily physique, her long tail flicking imperiously, her expression simultaneously haughty and wise, an effect caused by the spectacle-like markings at the corners of her eyes. Now, however, she looked skinny rather than lean, _unhealthily_ skinny, and her tail…

Her tail was half the size it used to be.

"'Was goin' ta tell ya abou' 'er. Not sure what 'appened. Found 'er outside by the drive a while back and took 'er to Jimmy's, who 'ad to cut off 'er tail as it was crushed. Been feedin' her up as best I can. She'll be good once it 'eals and she gets some meat back on 'er bones. Take a bit to a'just 'er balance but she'll get there."

Remus stared. The guilt was eating him alive, and that must have shown on his face because Robinson frowned and got to his feet.

"None o' that, lad," he said, clasping Remus's shoulder and squeezing. "She's fine. Just need to 'eal, yeah? Bit o' pamperin' and she'll be righ' as rain."

His nod short, Remus pressed his lips together and swallowed back the bile in his throat. "Can s-she b-b-be mo-ved-d?"

"Yeah. Ya gonna take 'er? Good lad," Robinson said when Remus nodded again, eyes wide. "Just be careful with 'er tail. I gotta travel box from when I took 'er to Jimmy's. You can keep it if ya want."

"Thank you," he whispered, kneeling down beside the cat who'd been one of the offspring of a family pet and who'd he'd brought with him to London as a kitten. Barty hadn't approved but he hadn't said anything.

Out loud.

"'Ere ya go, kid. Careful now."

"Rem, I'll go back and get your books, all right? Then we can get out of here and get her home. Will Sirius let you have a pet?"

"I really could not care less if he doesn't," Remus answered softly, running gentle fingers along Minerva's coat. The cat lifted her head and let out a pitiful little warble. Peter chuckled.

"That's the attitude. I'll meet you at the car."

The transfer was slow and the low rumble of Minerva's agitated growl accompanied the two pairs of hands cradling her, one pair trembling slightly. Once she was settled in the carrier, Remus locked it and picked it up, murmuring to his cargo when she meowed a little indignantly and shifted around, then followed Robinson out of the stall as quickly and carefully as possible.

"Lupin, you cannot-"

"She's mine!" he barked, spinning on his heels and glowering at Snape, the rolling tide of grief and guilt and memories and _anger_ he'd been experiencing all day blazing up and overtaking his common sense, so that there was no space between him and Snape all of a sudden, and no Peter to curb him. The carrier made soft contact with the ground and out of the corner of his eye, he noted Robinson standing back and watching, a small smirk creasing his weathered features. Snape's rapid blinking had a small amount of satisfaction burning in his belly… but not enough.

Not nearly enough.

"She's mine, you smarmy, rotten, horrible bastard. I brought her with me when I moved in, as you fucking well _know_ , and I'm taking her with me now that you've finally gotten your fucking way and had me tossed out on my arse. She's goddamn _hurt_ because of you and Barty-"

"I had absolutely nothing to do with that animal," Snape sniffed, throwing the carrier a sneer of disgust. Heart slamming, Remus leant closer and bared his teeth.

"Bullshit," he hissed, hands contracting at his sides. "You fucking _live_ here in all but address, in Barty's bed most likely, now that I'm out of the way. Tossing her outside like she was nothing more than a bloody sack of spuds when she doesn't know how to properly survive outside on her own has your name written all over it!"

"Careful, Lupin. Defamation is a suable offence," Snape murmured, black eyes glittering; speaking, _preening_ volumes. The fury surged, muddying Remus's thoughts and squeezing his lungs painfully, a vice around his heart.

If there was ever anyone who deserved a fist to the face, it was _Severus fucking Snape._

"Go on. Do it. Prove you're more than just a glorified fuckboy. Hit me. I dare you."

Anger so prevalent he could taste it on his tongue, Remus closed his eyes and sucked in a sharp breath. Somewhere in the back of his brain, he knew the wording was deliberate; it had to be, but with not be able to think past the fury, the desire to clock Snape right in his incredibly large nose was making his hands shake. After everything he'd done, seeing the tosspot on the ground with blood pouring down his chin…

Sweet baby Jesus, it was a beautiful fantasy.

It seemed like a very long time before Remus was able to slowly release his breath, open his eyes and take a step back. He felt sick, and exhausted, and somehow righteously rebellious as he picked up the carrier and held Snape's disappointed gaze for a lengthy moment before turning around and putting one foot in front of the other until he was off the grounds and through the house, meeting a clearly-coming-back-for-him Peter at the front door. His best mate opened his mouth to say something but closed it again the instant he saw Remus face. Flanking him instead, and the two men walked to the car in silence.

"Ya wan' these, lad," Robinson's gravelly voice said, the rest of Minerva's things that Remus had collected over the years following the carrier into the backseat, the box itself sliding onto the floor behind Remus's seat. "I rescued this lot from the bin after I found 'er. 'Tis 'ers, she should 'ave 'em."

"Thank you, Robinson," Remus said quietly, smiling as best he could at his old friend. Robinson sent his toothless grin back and nodded his head.

"Nothin' ta thank me for, son. Take good care of the lassie, ya 'ear?"

"Will do."

"And 'ere," Robinson said, rooting around in the numerous pockets of the ancient coat he was wearing, eventually pulling out a scrap of paper and a stubby pencil. He scribbled a couple of things down and handed the paper to Remus. "My number, and the vet's, Jimmy's. She'll need checked-over soonish. Ring me abou' that nip, yeah? Wanna take a gander at ya new place."

"Will do," Remus repeated, holding out his hand and shaking Robinson's when he grasped it with his. "Truly. Thank you. But I think I've got to go now."

"Tch, off with ya, then. Good seein' ya again, Pete."

"You too, Robinson," Peter answered from the driver's side. The car started and Remus opened the door and climbed in, waving as Peter pulled them back onto the circular driveway.

They were approaching the gates when they saw him. The town car was solid black, the driver wearing full uniform including a heavily starched hat. Remus's breath stopped, and as they passed the car, his head turned of its own accord.

The back passenger window was down. Barty's eyes were as sharply blue as ever.

Then they were through the gates and Remus's head spun as his breath whooshed from his lungs. He sucked in noisily, gulping oxygen as if he was suffocating.

"All right, Moony?"

"I'm not a fuckboy," he announced after a moment, clearing his throat and staring straight ahead. Peter shot him a cautious look.

"No, you're not."

"And I can resist a dare. I can."

Peter's pout was deliberate and exaggerated. "Well now, when the hell did you figure that out? You take away all my fun, don't you?"

Remus snorted. "Fuck you," he said, and his mate's laughter had some of the tension burrowed in his bones dispersing. From the back, Minerva meowed, and Remus rubbed his hand over his mouth and settled more comfortably into his seat, glad to have the house and grounds, Snape, and Barty behind him. Literally and figuratively.

He didn't know whether it was the final break. But it was a good thing, the _best_ thing, that it felt like one.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sharp Teeth**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own. She does not sue.

 **A/N -** Again, this is far longer than it should be. Ah, well. Enjoy! :)

 _He didn't know whether it was the final break. But it was a good thing, the best thing, that it felt like one._

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

* * *

Minerva meowed as Remus was carrying her up the steps towards his flat, and the sound had a twinge of anxiety running through him, making him clutch the cat carrier tighter. What if Sirius was _really_ against have a pet? As much bravado as he'd shown in the barn… could he actually insist that he be allowed to keep her?

Was Sirius even a cat person? Or even an _animal_ person? What if he wasn't? What if he-

"The only way you're going to find out is by asking, mate."

His back straightening, Remus clenched his jaw and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Thanks."

"No problem," Peter said, slapping his back. "Let's get it over with, all right?"

"Right," Remus said, clutching the handle closer to him. "Okay." Opening the door, he walked into the flat, Minerva at his side and Peter behind him, eyes immediately zeroing in on Sirius sitting on the couch watching the telly. Sirius looked up, a smile on his face.

Of course, Minerva chose that exact moment to meow again. The smile disappeared.

"Is that a cat?" Sirius asked incredulously, getting to his feet. Remus swallowed hard and gave a sharp jerk of his head, slowly lowering the carrier to the ground.

"Y-y-eah. E-er-r. Her-r n-n-n-a-" Stopping, he closed his eyes and drew in a long breath, then blinked them open and pushed his glasses up his sweaty nose with a shaky hand before starting again. "H-her n-na-name is M-Minerva-a. Sh-she's m-mine and she's h-hurt and I c-couldn't leave h-her-r there. Do y-you mind if-f I… can I-I…"

"You want to keep her with you here?" Sirius asked, walking over and crouching down beside the carrier. Remus watched as he unlatched it and looked inside, a pair of bright yellow eyes peering back at him. What he saw made him frown. "Hello, sweetheart. You are hurt, aren't you? What happened to her?"

He looked up at Remus and Remus stared back for longer than was polite before his question registered.

"Oh, u-um, not s-sure. She's fine, or w-wil-ll be. Can we stay?"

Sirius's brows arched up. "We?" he said, then smiled and stood up. "'Course. I've got no problem with cats, mate, and judging by how old she looks, I'm guessing she's house-trained. Just clean up after her if needed and we shouldn't have a problem."

The relief didn't lessen his racing heart any. But it did give him the courage to smile at Sirius a little and plaster a contemplative look on his face.

"B-bas-ed the way my room used t-to be-e, I'd have thought you wouldn't m-min-d a bit of mess."

He grinned when Sirius barked a laugh. "That wasn't me! That was James! He's the monster from the deep! Ask Lily if you don't believe me!"

"You know I c-could, I m-met her the other day-"

"Sorry to interrupt lads, but Petey needs a pint. You can carry on all this cute banter at the pub. Coming with us, Sirius?"

Remus blinked at the sudden reminder that his friend was there too, then flushed at Sirius's bright grin. His flatmate looked excited as he wandered over to click the telly off. "Sure! In fact, I know exactly where to go. Give me a moment to change while get Professor Minnie settled?"

 _Professor Minnie?_ But Sirius's door was closing and Peter's smirk was far too delighted and he did have a cat to settle after all. Ten minutes later, Sirius was back wearing a bloody leather jacket of all things - _sweet Lord, what is he trying to do to me?_ \- and Minerva was still in the open carrier, safe in the bottom of Remus's tiny closet. One quick text from Sirius and two from Remus, and all three of them were on their way.

~0~

"Here?" Peter asked, glancing in the rearview mirror and pulling up to the curb when he caught Sirius's nod. The drive had been relatively short, only a few blocks, and looking out his window, Remus took in the plain brick building they had stopped in front of, the red of the bricks looking brighter than usual in the wan, just-becoming-afternoon sunlight. The bright blue door stood out against those bricks, as did the wooden sign that swung above the sidewalk.

 _The Brightest Star_

"It's how James and Lily met," Sirius said, seeing Remus looking at the sign with raised eyebrows. "And Lily and me too, I guess. It intrigued us, that sign, so we went in. The rest is a whole lot of stalkerish on James's part, exasperated on Lily's part, history."

"Why did the sign intrigue you?" Peter asked as they got out of the car. Sirius grinned at him and opened his mouth to reply but closed it again Remus spoke before him.

"Sirius is the brightest star in the sky," he murmured, still looking at the sign. He looked over when Peter snorted, then flushed. "W-well, it is-s!"

"You're right, mate; it is," Sirius said, his grin becoming a lazy smirk, his eyes… Remus's blush grew and he quickly dropped his gaze.

What the bloke could do with those eyes should've been illegal.

"Starshine, is it? Show us where we're going then," Peter said, smiling broadly. Remus shot him a look, but Sirius only chuckled and lead the way towards the door. They were just about to enter when a shout echoed from across the road, making all three men turn.

Peter's face brightened like someone had turned on a light in a pitch black room.

"Emmeline, me darlin'! Top of the mornin' to ya, lass!" he crowed in a terrible Irish accent, bounding towards her and then literally hopping from foot to foot as she and Dorcas came to a stop beside them. Emmeline's brow crinkled and a long groan escaped her, the pained look on her face clear when she glanced at Remus. Remus's lips tilted and he shrugged.

"I can't control him," he said, amused at her expression. "Sorry, love. Don't worry though, it's only for the night."

Emmeline's frown grew. "That's too bloody long as it is," she grumbled, turning to show a practically vibrating Peter her back and smiling wanly at Sirius. "Hey, Black. Good to see you again."

Sirius nodded and grinned at her. "You too, dearie. Dorcas, you look lovely. Shall we go in?" He bent at the waist and waved the girls towards the door, his hair sliding over his shoulders. The black jeans he was wearing pulled tight in the very best place and Remus gulped, then jolted when Peter snorted for the second time and nudged his in the back with his elbow.

"Eyes up, Moony," he murmured in his ear, laughter in every syllable. Remus's neck burned. He sucked in a breath and hurried after Dorcas and Emmeline, ignoring both Sirius and Peter in turn as they followed him inside.

"Oh, I know this place!" Dorcas exclaimed, eyes darting around the atmospheric room. The pub's decor was heavy with rich golden tones and dark cherry wood. The bar lined the left side of the room while booths hugged the opposite wall and smaller tables dotted the space in between. There was a small stage at the other end of the room and a tiny dance floor - enough for a handful of couples to sway to the slow, hypnotic music currently playing, the jukebox small but doing the job is was meant for. The place smelt homely and comfortable, cold beer and well meaning laughter like physical echoes saturating the air. Remus felt instantly at ease.

"Marley told me about it! She said the beer was cheap but good, the owner was young and beautiful, and you were made you feel right at home. I've wanted to come here ever since!"

"Oh, that's a very nice thing to hear," a voice said from the direction of the bar, drawing everyone's attention. "That's what I'm going for, after all. Glad to know I'm bringing someone happiness!"

Remus blinked in surprise. "L-Lily?!"

"That's my name," the redhead with the very pregnant belly said, leaning against the side of the shelving that held her top shelf liquor, her folded arms resting on her bump. "'Lo, Remus. Welcome to my pub. James, they're here!"

"I can hear that, my love. And why am I carrying this? You _do_ have staff who work here and get paid to lug stuff around, don't you?"

"None who look as good as you doing it, honey," Lily said with a smirk as James brushed past her carrying a large, heavy-looking box. Silently, Remus added his own agreement. James was wearing a short-sleeved tee and the muscles in his upper arms were very nicely developed. Pity he didn't have tattoos.

Remus had recently found himself rather partial to tattoos.

"Sirius, stop being an antisocial knob and introduce everyone, would you? What am I getting you lot to drink?"

After elaborate introductions were made and the group had pushed two tables together and taken seats, drinks in hand, Remus leant over to Lily. "I didn't know you o-owned a pub," he said, eyeing her curiously. Lily shrugged and took a sip of her club soda. There weren't that many patrons in the pub, just a few bundled in a couple of booths, which Remus found a little surprising considering it was a Saturday afternoon. Perhaps it would get busier later.

"Family business," she said, flicking her hair back over her shoulder and leaning into the arm James had wrapped around her waist. "My granddad owned it and when my mum wasn't interested in taking over, I bought him out. Been saving since I was seven." She looked around and sighed, then turned back to Remus with a contented smile. "This place is my childhood, you know? It doesn't make much of a profit but I don't really care. I love it more than anything."

"Oi, what about me and bubs?" James protested playfully, poking her in the side with his finger. Lily grinned and shook her head.

"Well, nearly everything."

Smiling to himself at how good they looked together, Remus sat back and picked up his pint, and it wasn't long before he was on his second. He spent the rest of the afternoon watching Peter deviate between toasting him for what he'd achieved that morning and hitting on a constantly rebuffing Emmeline, and Dorcas and Em chatting and laughing with Lily, Sirius, and James, the newcomers friendly and more than welcoming. He didn't say much, more than happy to observe and answer when spoken to, and being a lightweight, he switched to club soda after his second pint and stayed on it for the rest of the evening. It was a good night.

He wanted to remember that night.

"All right there, Remus?"

Feeling a rush of tingling heat along his side, Remus turned to look at the man who'd taken Lily's vacated chair. Sirius had turned the chair around and edged it in close, straddling it, his shoulder just short of pressing against Remus's. He'd discarded his leather jacket somewhere along the way, his arms folded across the back of the chair.

Remus didn't like tight-fitted white t-shirts. He did not.

"I-I'm fine," he said, willing his speeding heart to slow. Attraction was a bloody bitch of a thing. "I'm g-good. I can't d-drink any-ymore-e though. I'll get sick."

Sirius nodded. "So don't," he said, his glass swinging between two fingers, half-empty, his eyes on Remus. "Sloshed ruins sexy, yeah? I don't want you ruined."

Remus mouth dropped open. Chuckling, his flatmate reached over and gently pushed it up, his hand lingering just a little along the underside of his jaw, making Remus's cheeks flame.

"Unless, that is, I ruin you," Sirius murmured, tilting his head. His smirk came slowly when the other man choked on his breath, and his hand fell to Remus neck, barely touching his collarbone before dropping away. "I'd quite like that to happen, you know. I might have already mentioned it, but I wanted to let you know where I stand. But not right now, because I know you said you weren't interested and I respect that. Now's for starting again. We'll revisit in the future, I think, yes? 'Nother soda?"

It took a moment for Remus to get his overheated brain to untie his tongue.

"U-u-u-um. Y-y-y-yes-ss-s?" he said, not entirely sure what he was agreeing to.

"Right you are then," Sirius said, getting up. "Be back in a jiffy."

He came back a moment later with a fresh glass in hand and didn't move from Remus's side for the rest of the night. He spoke to him just as he did everyone else, as if he hadn't reduced Remus to a pile of fried brain cells, and it took Remus a while to recognize that he was distinctly _disappointed_ about that. He didn't know why he was. He should've been pleased Sirius had pulled back.

Shouldn't he?

Confused and wishing he wasn't, the silence Peter had settled into at some point wound through his head far slower than was safe. He sat in his seat with his eyes on Remus, a thoughtful expression on his face. When Remus looked over to check, green eyes swiftly narrowed.

"What are you up to?" he asked, suspicion clouding his tone. His question succeeded in silencing their companions, and seeing everyone now observing him curiously, Peter began to smirk.

There was so much intent, so much _mischief_ in the look, Remus immediately put his glass down and shook his head.

"No."

"Yes," Peter shot back, still smirking. When Remus frowned at him, his let out a laugh. "Oh, come on, Moony, you don't even know what I'm going to say! Don't shut me down without context!"

"I don't need context," Remus said, shaking his head again, "I know you. Whatever it is, it isn't going to happen. It isn't, Wormtail!"

"Wormtail?" Sirius murmured, watching the two. Neither man heard him.

"Hear me out," Peter was arguing, leaning towards Remus with his expression now a lot more earnest. "I have an idea. It's what you've always been interested in but have never been totally willing to embrace, and that controlling twat only made it worse. It's the perfect way to shout 'fuck you' at the prick and claim your life back. Claim _yourself_ back. Don't you want to do that?"

Remus stared at his friend, eyes like saucers and their company forgotten. He knew what Peter was talking about. The idea _had_ always intrigued him, ever since he'd first heard of it, but he'd always managed to talk himself out of it. Of course, it'd always crept back into his mind, sitting there tantalizingly.

The first time he'd casually mentioned the idea to Barty, his reaction had solidified the _no_ to the point that he'd never thought of it again. Until now.

He couldn't… he couldn't actually do it _._

Could he?

"I say go for it, Remus."

Eyes snapping to Emmeline, who was smiling encouragingly at him, Dorcas next to her looking beyond excited, his heart began to race. _Could_ he do it?

"You'll come with me?" he blurted, fists on his knees clenching tight. Dorcas let out a squeal and clapped her hands, and Peter grinned widely, picked up his drink and toasted him for the fifth time that night.

"'Course we will!" Emmeline laughed, copying Peter and raising her pint at him. Drinking it down, she got to her feet and tugged Dorcas up. "We're going now before you change your mind. Lily, you're coming too."

The redhead's brows rose. "I am? Where are we going?" she asked. After a quick glance at Remus, who felt himself go red as he groaned under his breath, sighed and then rather reluctantly nodded, she leant over and whispered in Lily's ear.

Rampant curiosity flashed across James's face when Lily proceeded to blush as bright as her hair.

"Oh! Remus, _really?_ Hell yes, I'm coming with you! James can close this place down."

"...sure I can," James said slowly, watching the three girls and Peter rush to finish their drinks and get Remus to his feet. Sirius hadn't said a word and Remus refused to look at him. The thought made him want to melt with embarrassment.

Was he really going to do this?

" _It's a disgustingly crass and lower class idea, Remus, and you will_ not _being doing it. Do I make myself clear?"_

Lips going flat, Remus didn't resist when Peter wound his arm through his on one side and Dory did the same on the other, Em and Lily bringing up the rear as they practically marched him to the door. He was his own person. Fuck Barty.

"Have any clue what that's about?" he heard James ask Sirius just before they left the pub.

"Dunno," Sirius replied, and Remus didn't think it was possible for his cheeks to redden further. The intrigue in his flatmate's tone proved him wrong. "But I'm sure we'll find out in time."

 _James won't._

The unexpected thought causing him to stumble just a bit, Remus leant against Peter and willed the fierce, full-body blush to abate. Sweet Jesus. He shouldn't be thinking anything of the sort.

Funnily enough, when he and his entourage left Emmeline's sister's piercing studio an hour later, Remus walking extremely carefully, his thoughts would not stop straying where they shouldn't. He gritted his teeth, every step making him throb, which in turn only brought on more thoughts of Sirius's kindness and amiable nature.

And his eyes.

And his smirk.

Dear lord, those _tattoos._ On that _body._

Sirius Black was bloody fit.

Sighing, he rubbed his forehead and gingerly climbed into Lily's people mover. Christ. He was right fucked, wasn't he?


	9. Chapter 9

**Sharp Teeth**

 **Disclaimer:** I ain't infringing nothing because I own nothing.

 **A/N -** Hello, lovely readers! This chapter has thankfully behaved and has stayed more the length it should be, which makes me happy. In fact, this entire chapter makes me happy. Hopefully it makes you happy too! :)

 _Sighing, he rubbed his forehead and gingerly climbed into Lily's people mover. Christ. He was right fucked, wasn't he?_

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

* * *

"Does it hurt? What's it feel like?"

The one-quarter curious, three-quarters gleeful question had Remus rubbing his eyes in exasperation and then turning to glare at Peter as Lily drove them back to the flat. Having had too much to drink to get his own car home, Peter had been happy to leave it sitting outside the pub, Lily assuring him she'd have James park it around the back and drop it off early the next morning. They'd stopped at the pub long enough to pick up Sirius, then dropped Em and Dory off at their respective flats before heading for Remus and Sirius's.

Peter had been practically vibrating with questions from the moment they'd left the piercing studio. He'd managed to contain them most of the way, but Remus could hear them without them being spoken aloud, and as he wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of his flatmate knowing what he'd just done — it made him far too jumpy, what with the line his thoughts were running along — he was very quickly getting more than a little annoyed. He _was_ sore, and would be for a while yet, something the piercer had explained to him was completely normal, and all he wanted to do was to hide in his room and not think about what he'd just allowed himself to be talked into.

Remus sighed. Talked into? Who was he kidding? He'd jumped on the bandwagon far too willingly and now he was aching, and uncomfortable, and bizarrely sad. He didn't regret doing it. He knew that much. He'd wanted it for years and he was pleased and proud of himself for going through with it. But it felt like a much more _definite_ slash through four years of his life; something he couldn't take back.

The act was meant to have been something of a final goodbye, but he was more confused than happy at the moment, which was only adding to his irritation. He _wanted_ to be done with him! Why the fuck was he upset?

"Moony? Can I see it when-"

" _Peter_!" Remus snapped, then immediately felt guilty when Peter's face fell. "Oh, for Christ's sake. You know you can. I just… I-I'm t-tired. It's been a b-big d-day."

"Yeah, mate, of course it has," Peter said quietly. The silence from the car's other occupants was slightly oppressive and Remus groaned internally. He was making an arse of himself, wasn't he? "Sorry. Gotta get your rest to heal up good anyway. To bed, then. I can see later."

Sighing a second time, Remus tugged his glasses off and scrubbed at his face, telling himself to stop being such a sadsack. This was supposed to be a celebration, wasn't it? "No-o, we can have a ni-nightc-cap," he said just as the van pulled up to the curb. "I h-have to see to Minerva anyway. I w-wouldn't m-mind another d-drink. Lily?"

Turning around and smiling at him, Lily shook her head. "Sorry, love, calling it a night too, I'm afraid. Bubs is doing the can-can at the moment and needs his daddy to settle him down. I'll see you next Saturday though, right?"

"Next… oh, yeah, right," Remus agreed with a small smile. "Um. Thanks. For… for ev-erythi-ing."

Lily grinned. "No need. It was an eye-opening experience," she said, laughing when Remus flushed. "All right, out you lot get. Peter, James will be here as early as you want him to be. Sirius can drop him back off again."

"Can I?" Sirius countered, raising a brow. He let out a soft snort when Lily smirked at him and shrugged.

"Or not. In all honesty, he could do with the exercise. I'll text you about Saturday, Remus!"

She was gone before he could reply, and Remus was quiet as the three of them walked into the flat, Sirius waving off his rather stilted offer of another drink. "Nah, mate, muse is calling," he said, heading towards his bedroom. "It was a good night though, yeah? Catch you both in the morning."

"Muse?" Peter asked with a curious cock of his head once Sirius's door had closed. In answer, Remus shrugged one shoulder moodily and threw himself down onto the couch, only just holding back a yelp when the impact jarred his nether regions. Grumbling to himself, he toed his shoes off and lay his head back, staring up at the ceiling with his mind churning.

"Do you regret doing it?"

Not looking at Peter, Remus shook his head. "No," he said slowly, as if he wasn't entirely sure of the answer. Which was stupid, because he was. "No, I don't. It's just… it seems so _final._ "

"You can take it out," Peter said softly, and Remus lowered his head to look at him, his bottom lip between his teeth. His best mate had taken the seat to his left and was leaning forward, his clasped hands on his knees, his eyes on Remus. He looked so serious, Remus couldn't help the way his lips twitched, and it was that and Pete's unusual expression that made Remus realise exactly how pathetic he was being.

Groaning, he pushed his glasses up and rubbed his eyes before running a frustrated hand through his hair. "Sorry, mate, just ignore me, yeah?" he said with a sigh, leaning forward to mirror Peter's posture, then just as quickly leaning back again when his lower half protested being scrunched up. "It's nothing, don't worry about it. I'm being a knob. Can we ch-change the sub-bject?"

Peter was silent and Remus was shifting in his seat and wincing by the time his nostrils flared and he sat back himself, a contemplative look in his eyes. Having had a lot of experience with Peter's 'thinking face' and knowing that his friend wouldn't speak until he'd gotten everything sorted in his head, and then would _keep_ speaking until he'd said his piece, Remus got up and heading into the kitchen, fetching a couple of beers from the fridge and handing one to Peter before taking his seat again. He sipped his beer and waited with a resigned sort of patience.

When Peter did speak, the subject was completely the opposite of what Remus had been expecting.

"I'm going to move here."

The abrupt statement had Remus choking on his mouthful. Gasping through a fit of coughing, he eventually managed to clear his throat, looking up to stare at Peter dumbly the instant he could breathe. "Um, what?"

"I'm going to move here," Peter parroted, grinning at Remus's unhinged jaw. He reached out and quickly removed his mate's drink from between loose fingers, getting to it just before it fell to the floor. "Careful, Moony; a right precious commodity, that is. The carpet won't appreciate it nearly as much as we do."

"Pete, I d-don't- Peter. You d-d-don't need t-t-o-o d-do-"

"I know I don't, Rem," Peter interrupted, setting the bottle down and falling back into his chair, the very picture of devil-may-care with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, his hands pressing his own beer bottle into his stomach, fingers intertwined. "I'm not doing it for you. I'm not," he insisted calmly when Remus's face twisted in disbelief. "I got offered a job, mate. Few weeks back. Was on the fence about taking it, I'm a mummy's boy, you know I am-" he grinned again when Remus snorted out a laugh, "-but I'd pretty much already made up my mind when you texted. All this with the fucktard just set everything in stone."

Throat tighter than he liked, Remus cleared it a second time, his mouth opening and staying open far too long before he forced words out. "Erm… j-job. What j-job?"

"Construction," Peter answered easily, lifting his bottle to his lips. "Got offered an apprenticeship, actually, thanks to Uncle Frank. Accommodation provided so you don't need to worry 'bout me kipping down here on your sofa full-time. Flat and its lad's all yours, eh?"

His wink was exaggerated and Remus blew out a harsh breath, his heart pounding. Peter was… his best mate in the entire world was… Jesus.

"When d-do you m-mo-ove?" he asked, pushing the words out when they fought him. Peter's face lit up and he leant forward eagerly.

"A fortnight. You and me together again, Moony! Can you imagine it? This town won't know what hit 'em."

Remus blinked a few times as the thought processed. Him and Wormtail. Together again. Slowly, a smile formed, growing until he was beaming, and Peter laughed at the expression, jumped to his feet and tugged Remus up as well. He pulled him into a hard hug, a delighted snicker escaping when Remus bit out a curse at the sudden contact.

"Oh, I gots to see this!" he crowed, holding on for a long minute and then jerking back and dragging Remus towards the bathroom separating the two bedrooms. He was scrambling for Remus's trousers before Remus had a chance to catch his breath, and realising that the door was still wide open and that it would _not_ look good if Sirius walked out of his room right at that moment, Remus slapped at Peter's hands and took a hasty step back.

"Stop that! And close the bloody door, you git!"

"Fine, jeez, just hurry up, would you? I wanna see!"

Throwing his friend a dirty look, Remus waited until the door was firmly closed, then undid his trousers and _carefully_ lowered them and his boxers down over his brand new piercing. Licking his lips, he peered down at himself and waited.

Peter stared. For a long time.

"There's a bit of blood, isn't there?" he finally commented, right when Remus was starting to get anxious. His head turned from side to side as he looked. "Is there supposed to be that much blood?"

Swallowing his anxiety, Remus nodded. "Yeah, it's normal for it to bleed for a couple of days afterwards," he croaked. When Peter pursed his lips but didn't say anything else, just continued to study the piercing curiously, he let out an impatient sound. "Is that all you can say? That it's bloody?"

"Well, it is," Peter pointed out logically, then flicked his eyes towards Remus and smirked when his friend huffed in irritation. "Not to worry, Moons, it looks fine. More than fine, in fact. I can imagine exactly how it's going to look once the swelling goes down." Then, in a movement that startled Remus more than it should've, he crouched down so the piercing was eye-level, his expression losing its clinical curiosity. "I can imagine how it would feel too. It's positioned just right to… hmm. You'll have to stretch lover-boy a bit, I expect, but yeah, it'd _certainly_ hit the spot."

Looking up with a lecherous grin, Remus gaped when he caught the glint in his eyes, something he hadn't seen there in years. Surprised, he took another step back. Peter laughed and got back to his feet.

"'Course, Sirius might have to be careful when he blows you. Chipped teeth probably won't take away much of his prettiness, mind, but it never hurts to be too cautious."

His voice echoed off cracked porcelain tiles, and with his face flaming, Remus abruptly remembered exactly how thin the bathroom walls were. Lunging forward, he slapped his hand over Peter's mouth.

"Shut it!" he hissed, his face twisting with disgust when Peter's tongue darted out and swiped a path along his palm, making him jerk his hand away. "Christ, Wormtail, you are so fucking gross!"

"You love it," Peter said, leering at him. Laughing far too loudly, he skipped back a step when Remus's elbow made for his stomach. "Now, now, no touching, my boy! I'm saving myself for Emmeline, didn't you know?"

"The day Em takes you up on that incredibly generous offer is the day I walk naked through the streets," Remus grumbled, giving himself a quick but careful wash and then pulling his pants and trousers back up. Peter smirked at him and waggled his brows, and a reluctant smile tugged at Remus's lips. "You're such a bloody shit, Wormy. I'm off to bed. There's blankets and a pillow in the linen cupboard. Try not to wake the neighbours up with your foghorn snoring, all right?"

Peter shook his hips. "I'll be quiet as a mouse!"

"A rat, more like," Remus smirked. Peter's grin widened and the two men left the bathroom, Remus heading for his bedroom and Peter heading for the couch. The springs in the sofa groaned when Peter sunk onto it, and Remus paused in his doorway and turned back.

"Pete?"

Peter's head popped over the arm. "Yeah?"

"Sirius and I are friends and flatmates. Nothing more."

Calm blue eyes observed him in silence for a moment. "I know that, mate," Peter said quietly. "Do whatever's best for you."

With a somewhat relieved smile, Remus nodded and headed into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sharp Teeth**

 **Disclaimer:** I cannot say that I own Harry Potter or anything related. So I shall not.

 **A/N –** Guys. This story has been nominated for two Shrieking Shack Society Marauder Medals – Best Fluff (Best _F_ _luff? Me?!_ Say _what?!_ ) and Best Alternate Universe Fic. Like. Holy shit. _Thank you!_ I'm completely blown away. The voting period ended a few days ago, so I can't ask you to go vote (I'm seriously late with this chapter), but I can say thank you, thank you, _thank you_ to whomever nominated this story _and_ for everyone's continuously wonderful support. Your lovely comments mean so much to me. Like you won't believe. You're all utterly amazing! :D A little shoutout to **hogwartsaheadcanon** for her help on this chapter. You, my dear, are extra amazing!

 _With a somewhat relieved smile, Remus nodded and headed into his bedroom, closing the door behind him._

* * *

 **Chapter Ten**

* * *

Seeing Peter off the following morning was harder than Remus had anticipated. James had shown up in the early hours as promised, and had scooted around the side of the house, proceeding to bang, rather loudly, on Sirius's bedroom window. Being a light sleeper, however, it'd been Remus who had trudged out the front door and rounded the house to greet the interloper, a disgruntled scowl on his face, James at least having the decency to look a _little_ bit sheepish when he'd seen exactly whom he'd woken up. Sirius had grinned lazily at his friend when he'd finally gotten up to the banging on his bedroom door, and Peter…

Peter had looked positively delighted.

"Gonna regret that, mate," he'd said gleefully when he'd heard the reason behind Remus's irritated expression. "Moony, here, ain't a morning person, and he _really_ don't like being woken up."

James had looked amused. "I'm sure I can handle him," he'd said. Remus and Peter had exchanged a look and Peter's grin had grown.

"Keep telling yourself that, lad. You walking back?"

"Yes, he is," Sirius had said, to which James had protested just as loudly as he'd banged on the window. He'd left eventually, muttering under his breath about ungrateful people, and an hour later, Peter was ready to hit the road.

"I'll text you when I get home," he said, standing next to his car, Remus beside him with his hands shoved in his pockets, his hood pulled down low over his face. He swallowed with difficulty and nodded, eyes on the sidewalk. Peter's smile softened.

Remus started when familiar arms had wrapped tightly around him.

"Two weeks," Peter murmured, Remus sagging into the other man and quickly returning the hug, pressing hard enough to unseat his glasses. "You and me, Rem. We'll paint the town red."

"I prefer pastels, myself," Remus said, sniffing and wiping his nose inelegantly, straightening his glasses and grinning a little when Peter laughed, blurted "bullshit," and stepped back. "Red's good. I'll see you soon."

"It'll fly by, promise. I gotta get going. See ya later, Moons."

Remus sniffed again. "Bye, Wormtail."

Peter grinned at him, clicked the heels of his shoes together and gave a jaunty salute. The bang of the car door closing sounded very loud in Remus's ears, and he was still standing there, his head down again and his hands back in his pockets, after the car had disappeared around the corner. He sighed and kicked a stone on the sidewalk, his chest tight.

Peter was… Peter. His best friend. Someone he'd known since he was two years old. The person who'd quite literally helped him figure out he liked boys a _lot_ more than he liked girls. The first person to tell him that there was absolutely nothing wrong with that. The person who'd had his back his entire life, even during the four years Remus had shut him out.

Peter Pettigrew reminded him of a time he'd thought gone, a time he'd secretly mourned – a secret he'd only recently realised he'd kept, even from himself. And although he logically _knew_ Peter was coming back, seeing him leave made that very hard to remember.

He really didn't want to lose his best mate again.

"Wanna take a tour of the city?"

Starting a little a second time, Remus turned and shoved his hood back, blinking at Sirius as he stood in the doorway. His flatmate had his hands in his pockets as well, a friendly smile on his face. Remus frowned in confusion.

"I've l-lived here four years."

"Sure you have. But you've been studying, yeah? Lost in your own little bubble. I need to get a couple of things anyway, and Camden is a sight to behold on a beautiful day like today. Come for a trip with me?"

His cordial smile didn't shift as he made the offer. Remus tipped his head to the side and regarded the man who, the night before, had told him he was interested in more than just being the person who took his rent. When Remus thought about that statement, the question Sirius had just put to him sounded a lot like he was asking him out on a date.

" _But not right now, because I know you said you weren't interested and I respect that. Now's for starting again. We'll revisit in the future, I think, yes?"_

Remus didn't know Sirius. The only thing he really knew about the man was that he was a good person – he had to be, to take in a complete stranger for no other reason than liking the look of him. Either that, or he was very naive. And since Remus wasn't entirely sure which one rang true, wouldn't it be a good idea to find out?

He'd always trusted his instincts before Barty. What better way to continue with the restart of his life than to try to make it a habit again?

His instincts told him Sirius had meant what he'd said.

"Um, o-okay. Sure. I just got to see t-to Miner-rva."

"Fire away," Sirius said with a pleased expression. Remus hesitated for another second and then sped past him and into the flat. His heart was beating like a drum, but he ignored it and his churning thoughts as he opened his closet to check on his slowly healing pet.

Minerva rumbled at him from inside the depths of the carrier as he checked to see if her litter box needed changing and gave her fresh water, dealing out the last of the cat food Robinson had provided. Remus whispered nonsense to her and set everything to rights as quickly as possible, vowing to get her an actual bed so that she didn't have to spend all her time in what was essentially a cage. Cages were horrid things and she deserved so much better than that.

Sirius had said he'd had some things to get, hadn't he? Perhaps he'd be willing to make a detour.

Leaving the closet door open – she should learn her new home if she had the strength for it – he was halfway to the bedroom door when he stopped dead, his brain abruptly throwing out the idea that maybe he should change. He was dressed for a day at home in a red jumper and jeans, the jumper swamping him enough to allow its hood to fall down over his face like it had earlier, the jeans old, ripped, and in one word, 'comfy.' Running a hand through his hair, Remus appraised himself anxiously before he suddenly realised what he was doing.

 _This isn't a date, for goodness sake! What you're wearing is fine! Stop bloody stressing about it!_

His hair caught on his fingers, and Remus bared his teeth and marched from the room, grabbing his wallet on the way. Fuck it.

"I'm r-ready to g-go if you… where the hell did that motorcycle come from?"

The complete bewilderment in his tone made Sirius laugh. He was leaning against the bike parked at the curb, his arms folded across his leather jacket-clad chest, and ignoring the way his stomach fluttered at the ensemble – good Lord, but the man was fit! – Remus approached with cautious steps. His eyebrows winged when he saw the two helmets sitting on the seat.

"Have you ever been on a motorbike before?" Sirius asked, grinning at him. He looked surprised but pleased again when Remus nodded. "Did you like it? It's really the best way to travel. The freedom is indescribable."

"I h-had one for a short time," Remus said, ploughing on as delight lit Sirius's eyes, "but I don't think it'll b-be a g-good idea today."

"Why not? It's the perfect day for it."

Remus pursed his lips and stuffed the wince as far down as he could at the thought of straddling a bike with his brand new piercing. _Not_ a very good idea. But he couldn't let Sirius in on that, could he? "Tell m-me this. Would you be w-willing to-o let m-me drive?"

Sirius blinked. "Uh…" he said, stepping away from the bike, obviously stumped. Remus's lips twitched.

"Didn't think so. It's all r-right. I need to d-drive. I can't be a passenger, I n-need to be in control. There's no other w-way for it, I'm afraid."

The irony of that absurdly true statement was not lost on Remus, considering the way he'd lived his life for the past little while, but the distressing thought slipped away easily at the slow, rather wicked smirk that transformed his flatmate's face.

"I've no problem whatsoever with you being in control, but today isn't the day we find out how well you drive, yeah? The Underground, then?"

 _Ah, fuck me._

The flush scorched Remus's face and neck so brilliantly, it should've been a permanent change. His lips parted at the mental images provided by Sirius's purred sentence, and Sirius's eyes widened, his own cheeks turning pink. He cleared his throat and took a hurried step back, bumping into the bike and making it sway dangerously.

"Woah. Okay, yeah, enough of that. I'll just, erm, put the bike away and we should… go. Yeah, we should go."

He swung himself around and bumped into the bike once more, grabbing it in a hurry and muttering under his breath. Remus watched him sweep a hand through his hair in an agitated movement and wheel the bike around the side of the house, a ripe curse floating through the air a few moments later. When he appeared again, his eyes fixed themselves determinedly to Remus's chest, his expression more than a touch frazzled.

Remus's particularly satisfied smirk was just as slow as Sirius's had been.

~0~

It was a good day. The Tube was predictably busy, which fortunately didn't leave a lot of space for awkward silences. Of course, Remus felt awkward anyway, but he soon found himself grinning at Sirius's whispered commentary on the railway's other occupants. Sirius Black could tell a tale like he was born doing it, and Remus was laughing when they got off at Camden Town Station and headed north, Sirius blending in in his leather jacket and motorcycle boots the instant they navigated their way through the crowd. In his rough clothing, Remus was the odd one out, but surprisingly enough, he didn't give it any more notice than a customary thought.

Sirius Black could tell a tale? Sirius Black was a tale in himself.

The perused the Camden markets for an hour or two before they moved on. Sirius tried very hard to get Remus to buy a beanie with a wolf howling at the moon on the front – "but your name and nickname, Rem! It's perfect!" – pouting a little when Remus refused point blank and buying a studded necklace to console himself. Remus grinned at the way he haggled with the stall owner, the battle fiercely fought and eventually won by Sirius, the tiny man throwing up his hands and conceding in the end. They went cheap for lunch, Remus trying hard not to show how embarrassing it was that he could do very little else as they paid a quick visit to a chip shop, then walked along Regent's Canal eating fish and chips. He protested vehemently when Sirius dragged him into a pub to shout him a pint afterwards.

Both were surprised when the end of the day rolled around. The stalls began packing up and the people began going home, and the two men headed back to the station, talking as if they'd known each other for years. It was easy to talk to Sirius. He didn't expect deep conversation, something that had been a prerequisite with Barty, and Remus found himself talking _about_ himself more because of that. He felt very comfortable having Sirius trail along after him at the pet store, and he had no qualms asking Sirius what he was doing when he led them into a Brewers.

"The flat needs a bit of a spruce-up, don't you think? It's been the same drab, boring colour since before it came to me. Wanna help me add a little life?"

Surprised but willing, Remus nodded, and they spent the next 45 minutes debating paint colours. Remus was highly amused when they left the store with two cans of paint, one red and one gold, Sirius insisting that the two colours would get along smashingly.

The sun was setting by the time they got back to the flat. Remus lugged the cat bed and the other bits and bobs he'd splurged on inside, taking them to his room while Sirius brought in the paint cans. A quick check on Minerva showed her food half-eaten and herself in a different position from that morning, and Remus left the room with that happy update on the tip of his tongue. The words didn't have time to arrive, however, because he had to immediately duck to avoid the object flying through the air towards him. It hit the wall and landed on the floor with a soft _thwump,_ Remus eyeing it suspiciously before turning to Sirius.

His face was the very picture of guilelessness. Remus's eyes narrowed when he shrugged.

"Sorry, Moony, mate, but it's perfect for you. Couldn't help myself."

Watching him closely another moment more, Remus slowly turned to the object and scooped it up, his brow furrowed. When he saw what it was, he blinked.

"I couldn't just leave it there. You get that, right? Remus? Um. Shit. You're not annoyed, are you? We can pretend I never bought it if you like. Hell, I'll wear it. I just thought… sorry. We don't know each other well enough for me to be doing stuff like this, do we? Give it here, I'll get rid of it."

He sounded incredibly awkward, and a little bit miserable, and Remus looked up from the beanie with the wolf howling at the moon on it in his hand. One look at Sirius's face had his stomach turning over. He quickly shoved the atrocious hat on his head.

"I think I'll keep it, thanks all the same," he said, smiling softly.

Sirius grinned.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sharp Teeth**

 **Disclaimer:** Not at all mine!

 **A/N –** Sooooo… this story won 2nd place Best Fluff in the Shrieking Shack Society Marauder Medals. Yes. Mmhmm. It did. *grins widely* THANK YOU, EVERYONE WHO VOTED! YOU ARE ALL AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL CREATURES! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO! Hehe! ;)

 _One look at Sirius's face had his stomach turning over. He quickly shoved the atrocious hat on his head. "I think I'll keep it, thanks all the same," he said, smiling softly. Sirius grinned._

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven**

* * *

The air horn went off in James Potter's ear at 7:45 in the morning. Standing at the side of the bed and slapping her hands over her own ears as the thing blasted its heart out, Lily stood back and watched, laughing herself hoarse as her husband-to-be propelled himself out of bed, eyes wild and reeling.

"AHHHHHHH! WHAT THE FUCK?!" he shrieked, coming close to bursting eardrums with the pitch of his voice, and then immediately gasping loudly and going rigid the instant his feet touched the floor. Blinking in shock, he peeled his eyes open and gaped down at the slimy mix of God-knows-what thoroughly drenching him from head to foot, large chunks of some unknown substance sliding down his face and landing with a plop on the conveniently covered carpet, the plastic sheet now grey and slippery, and just as wet as James was.

Remus grinned from the end of the bed, an empty bucket in his hands, the offending horn tossed on the rumpled blankets. "Good morning, James!" he chirped, his grin widening at the godsmacked look on James's face. "Thought you could use a bit of a w-wakeup call. You know. L-like the one you g-gave me last weekend?"

The dumbfounded silence from James only had Lily laughing harder. Remus had to admit, he did look pretty funny, standing there in soaked through ratty old shorts and a singlet, his hair plastered to his head, grey blobs pooling in the shells of his ears. Feeling rather satisfied with himself, Remus nodded and set the bucket down.

"Well, we'll be off, then. We'll leave you to clean this up, yeah? Oh, and Potter?"

James blinked and lifted his head to regard Remus with still bewildered but slowly sharpening hazel eyes.

"Don't wake me up again," Remus ordered quietly, smirking at the other man and then rounding the bed to take a laughing-so-hard-she-was-having-trouble-breathing Lily by the arm. "I'm stealing your ladylove for the d-day. She probably expects this to be all cleaned up b-by the time we g-get back."

"Oi! Lupin, what the hell?!" James yelled after them, finally coming to his senses as Remus and Lily made their way downstairs and headed for the front door of the pub. "Lils! _Lily_!"

"See you tonight, love!" Lily called back, snatching up her bag and stopping to take a few deep breaths once they'd reached the footpath. Laughter sparkled from her eyes, clear approval shining just behind it. "Remus, that was brilliant! I don't think I've ever seen anyone besides Sirius throw him that badly!"

Remus chuckled under his breath and climbed into the people mover's passenger seat. "You lot don't know me very w-well yet," he said, side-eyeing the redhead and smirking some, once again feeling very pleased with himself when Lily turned to grin widely at him, looking delighted. He sat back as she pulled out into the street, a happy little buzz drifting airily through his chest.

The past week had been… good. Really good. He and Sirius had spent their evenings painting the flat, the living room now a deep, rusty maroon colour with bright gold trim, and Remus had laughed more over the week than he had in a long time. Everything Sirius did, he did for a laugh, and Remus wasn't sure if felt more free to be himself now, instead of the watered down, dull, straightlaced version Barty had preferred him to be, because of that, or because he really was just coming back to himself again. Both? Probably, he realized with a hidden grimace. He didn't much like the thought that he was beginning to feel better because of someone else – shouldn't he be strong enough to make himself feel better on his own? – but he couldn't discard the evidence, now, could he? And it wasn't _only_ Sirius. School was going good, his friends were happier now that he was, Minerva was healing at a fast kip, and waking James up the way he had that morning had felt…

It'd felt pretty fucking fantastic, actually. Really quite brilliant.

Like old times.

Remus grinned.

"Those braces actually are kinda cute, you know," Lily said, glancing away from the road and smiling at him.

Her laughter rang through the vehicle when Remus winked at her.

~0~

It was a perfect day for a Renaissance festival. Set up by a small group of people who were more enthusiastic about living in the era for the day and enjoying the fair than they were about advertising to the public and making money, the event wasn't packed to the rafters with onlookers, but neither Remus or Lily minded. With the day being warm and Lily being five months along, Remus quickly learnt that she preferred only a scattering of people to the crowds more advertised events produced.

Remus really couldn't blame her. He wasn't one for crowds much himself.

"So Peter's going to be here next weekend, then?" Lily asked as they wandered across the grounds, avoiding the churned up earth and the much more whiffy patches left behind by human contraption and horse alike. "You'll be looking forward to that."

"Yeah, it's going to be brilliant," Remus said happily, pulling his wolf beanie down further over his ears when the breeze threatened to unseat it. The wind was brisk, lending a cool relief to the morning sun and fluttering long tunics and even longer skirts left, right and centre. Remus was rather glad Lily hadn't insisted on dressing in costume for the occasion. "He wants m-me to go check out the place he's l-living, see if it's 'up to standard', s-so to s-speak. I don't know what he's on about, Pete'll sleep under a rock as long as there's f-food, beer, and the shower's w-working."

Leading Remus towards the food stalls, Lily pursed her lips in thought. "You guys are close, aren't you?" she asked, ordering two crusty, hardy looking rolls filled with some sort of unidentifiable meat that, nevertheless, smelled divine. She handed one to Remus, who looked at it dubiously before taking a bite. After a moment or two of chewing, he conceded that he wasn't going to be able to guess what it was he was eating, no matter how much he wanted to. There was too much flavour going on.

It was marvelous. He smiled to himself and took another bite.

"I mean, I don't think even James and Sirius are quite that close, and those two are joined at the hip," Lily continued, clearly trying for nonchalant while wolfing down her own roll. They made their way over to what looked like to be the very start of a jousting tournament and took a seat to watch the festivities. "That's a pretty strong relationship you've got going on."

Remus's eyebrow hiked up. "Are you trying to ask me something, Lily?" he questioned her in a droll tone, feeling amused. When Lily swallowed the last of her roll and sent him a completely innocent look that fooled no one, smoothing her hand over her belly in the process, he smiled a little and shook his head.

"Peter is my best mate," he said quietly, voice even as he turned to watch the men and woman gallop down the field, doing their best to act out trying to knock their opponents off their horses. "He always has been. He's been a rock to me my entire life, and yes, if you must know, we were once more than just friends. It was a long time ago and we moved on from it quite easily, with no bruised feelings on either side. Does that satisfy your rampant curiosity?"

He looked over at her when she didn't reply, to see both guilt and regret flashing across her face. "I'm sorry, Remus, I don't really mean to pry," she said with a sigh, reaching for his hand and squeezing it. The over-the-top cries from the actors in the scene in front of them only highlighted the oddness of the turn the conversation had taken. "Of course you don't have to talk about anything you don't want to, and I know I should mind my own business. Your life is your own to talk about when or if you're up for it. But I get protective of the people I love, to the point of being irrational at times. You'll learn that soon enough if you hang around here."

Choosing not to dive too deeply into that statement – just who was she protecting, really? – Remus smiled back at her and shook his head a second time. "It's all right, it isn't a secret," he said. "Peter means a l-lot to me. I h-hope you'll all b-be welcoming."

Lily grinned. "Too right, we will. I own a pub, don't I?" Her smile grew when he chuckled, pushing his glasses back up and sending her a shy grin from beneath them. "There we go," she said, patting his hand. "No more probing questions, yeah? Wanna go watch the archery?"

She pulled him eagerly to his feet when he nodded, and they spent the rest of the day watching and laughing and talking about whatever came into their heads. It was just going on night when Lily dropped him back off at his flat, Remus thinking that since he'd spent the entire day out in the sun, vegging out in front of the telly with a takeaway would be the perfect way to spend the evening hours. Perhaps Sirius would be partial to Indian? He could maybe afford to get a curry if he wrangled a few numbers.

The hell with it, it was a Saturday night. He deserved a good dose of spicy, succulent unhealthiness once in a while, didn't he?

"Sirius?" he called over the sound of the front door closing, a hot rush of achievement whipping through him at the sight of the newly painted walls. Red was the colour of courage, was it not? His lips twitched before he forced them smooth, shoving his wayward thoughts back and his hitching feet forward. Red _was_ the colour of courage in this case.

It took a lot of courage to start again.

"Sirius? I was thinking of Indian tonight? Do you like Indian? You have to like Indian, it's amazing… oh my God."

Sirius's bedroom door had been standing open, and Remus, without even thinking about it, had headed towards his bedroom and walked inside. He stopped dead, like he'd slammed into the side of a lorry, the very instant he crossed the threshold, his eyes going absurdly wide, shock and wonder blasting through him with the force of a bass drum in an empty, acoustical theatre.

The _paintings._ There weren't words for it. For _them._ Colour and shape and _sound_ even, splashed across canvas, dominating the room with romantic, haunting vividness, light and dark shouting and screaming and quite literally taking Remus's breath away. The paintings littered the floor and the walls, some finished, some far from, some seemingly abandoned like lost children in a stroppy, endless sea. There was a canvas sitting on an easel in the corner that looked like it'd hardly been touched, and Remus took two slow steps further into the room and gaped at the sight in front of him, struck dumb and not knowing where to look first. Was he even worthy of looking at this?

It was _magnificent_. Simply magnificent. So heady and turbulent and _emotional_ , and he couldn't… he just couldn't… sweet Christ.

 _This_ was what Sirius's muse produced?

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Remus started violently and wheeled around to find himself face to face with a very haggard looking, very _angry_ looking, Sirius Black.


	12. Chapter 12

**Sharp Teeth**

 **Disclaimer:** I see no ownership, I am no ownership, I own no ownership!

 **A/N –** Hello, good people! I give you the next chapter! Thoughts and blather and loveliness at the end would be very appreciated, if you will. Thank you so for reading and much love to you all! :D

 _Remus started violently and wheeled around to find himself face to face with a very haggard looking, very angry looking, Sirius Black._

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve**

* * *

The flatness of Sirius's tone sent as much of a chill down Remus's spine as the anger in his face did. His eyes, usually light and carefree or smirking and laughing at Remus, were now just as flat as his tone; cold, hard, and very, very grey. He was holding his body in stiff lines, back tall and straight, hands folded behind him, and Remus might have laughed at the silly contrast the stance made to his bare chest and feet and paint-splattered sweats, if he hadn't been so suddenly and shockingly _nervous_.

" _This is simply not acceptable, Remus."_

Barty's voice slithered its way through his mind, repeating the sentence he'd said many times – _far_ too many times. He'd always said it calmly, a tone that'd belied the iciness beneath it; the _fury_ beneath it, and Remus swallowed heavily, his heart picking up speed in a distressing reaction that was both absurd and automatic. Pulling his bottom lip between his teeth, he quickly shuffled out of the room and cleared his throat, his hands burying themselves in his pockets.

"S-S-Sirius-s, um-m, I'm s-sorr-ry, I sh-shouldn't-t have… gone… I'll ju-just g-g-go."

The sharp planes of anger in Sirius's face didn't shift. "Do that," he said softly, head tilting just so, the aristocracy in the unconscious gesture not only much too familiar, but also making him seem colder. Unapproachable. Not at all like the person Remus was slowly beginning to know. Remus shivered and swallowed a second time, hoping to hell that it wasn't audible. "And maybe show some fucking respect for other people's privacy next time, yeah?"

"Y-yeah-h, of c-cours-se, sor-rr-y… s-s-orry, S-Siri-rius…"

When all his apology was met with was a frigid silence, Remus sucked in a tiny breath, dipped his head and beat a hasty retreat. He wasn't even aware where he was going until the shock of the cool night air make his pause briefly when it hit his burning cheeks. He blinked a couple of times, pulled his beanie down further over his ears, and began to walk.

Fuck. _Fuck._ What the hell was _wrong_ with him? A sort of trembling, vibrating sensation struck up in his chest, made worse by the way his heart was careening against his ribcage, and Remus scowled down at the concrete, his face and neck prickling with heat, his mind shouting so many things that he was having trouble making sense of them. There was one thing he did understand, however. He'd made another mistake, hadn't he?

Why in the hell would he _do_ something like that? Invade someone's privacy like that? Those paintings were obviously a private thing for Sirius, and he'd just barged right in like he owned the place… sweet Jesus. He was an idiot, he was _useless_! Why did he always do this? Fuck! Fuck, fuck, _fuck_!

What if Sirius wanted him to move out? Where in the hell would he go?!

Had he just ruined one of the better things to happen to him in a long time?

With a low groan, Remus stopped in place, rubbed his hand over his mouth, then leant his head back to stare up at the sky, releasing a breath that shook. The full moon was huge, a bright, beautiful orb shining like a beacon above him, and he squeezed his eyes shut tight before forcing them open again, his long sigh rattling his lungs. His cell phone was in his hand when he took a seat at the bench six blocks from the flat, his tongue wetting absurdly dry lips.

It rang four times before he picked up.

"Moony, mate! Miss me already?"

Remus pressed his fingers into his eyes until they hurt, smudging his glasses. "Pete."

The pause the followed was significant. "What's wrong?"

Remus laughed at the question, the sound coming out half choked. He rubbed his knuckles over his sternum to try to dislodge the lump there. "Um. I th-think f-fucked up-p, Wormy. I think I fucked up-p re-really-y bad-d."

~0~

The deep freeze went on for three days. After rambling on to Peter for a good half an hour, trying to listen to his best mate and not panic, and being told on no uncertain terms to get his arse back to the flat and out of the cold city at night – " _you live in bloody London proper now, Remus, you gotta take your safety more seriously!"_ – Remus headed home to see his flatmate's bedroom door firmly shut and some rock band he didn't recognise pumping out from behind it, the base shaking the walls. The music didn't stop for the three days Sirius didn't talk to him, and it was some of the most painfully awkward days Remus could remember experiencing.

He was acting like he wasn't even there. It was keeping Remus awake at night, the blatant pretending that he didn't exist, and Remus didn't know if he should try apologising again – not that he'd be able to anyway, there's no way the words would be intelligible – or just pack his bags and go.

There were two things stopping him from up and leaving, like it was becoming more and more clear to Remus that Sirius wanted him to do. The first was Minerva. He didn't think it wise to move her again when she was still healing, especially when he didn't know where he'd be going.

The second was Sirius himself.

Remus's flatmate looked horrible. He wasn't a big bloke to start off with, his body lean, musculature smooth and subtle, but now it actually looked like he'd lost weight. Remus spent most of the time walking on eggshells around the flat, trying to avoid Sirius as much as possible, and the man in question was making that easier by barely coming out of his room to begin with. When he did venture out, it was clear he hadn't changed out of what little clothes he'd been wearing when he'd caught Remus in his bedroom, let alone taken a shower. His hair was oily and lank, his stubble dark, scruffy and very unkempt, and the bags under his eyes looked like deep, purple bruises.

When had he slept last?

The worry was gradually beginning to nudge solidly against Remus's fears and anxiety, and he was just starting to think that maybe he needed to cross the invisible boundary and risk making Sirius angrier at him by invading his privacy again, when help arrived in the form of one James Potter. The bespectacled lad strode into the flat without preliminary on a Tuesday evening, startling Remus badly, who had been sneaking towards the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea and calling himself all sorts of fool for doing so, and headed straight for Sirius's bedroom, the door opening and closing with a bang and the music abruptly cutting off. Remus heard Sirius's pissy-sounding "Oi!" at the intrusion, then jumped again when a hand touched his arm.

"I'll put the jug on?" Lily suggested with a gentle smile. Remus nodded silently, his eyes going to bedroom door against his will. He winced when the music surged back to life, then smiled wanly at Lily as she pressed a steaming mug into his hand.

"It's a nice night. Want to sit out in it?"

Again, Remus's nod was silent. He followed Lily out onto the balcony and sat in the chair he customarily took, warming his hands around the cup and sipping cautiously. The amazon behind the flat was as mysteriously beautiful as ever, and Remus inhaled deeply and rested his head back, trying to let the stunning atmosphere sooth him like it usually did.

He almost jumped out of his chair when a loud bellow sounded over the music, a distinct and disconcerting crash following close behind.

"I made a mistake," he muttered, his eyes flicking to Lily sitting in Sirius's chair. The redhead's eyes cut away from the inside of the flat. She sighed, shaking her head.

"I doubt it, Remus. Sirius is… Sirius is just a bit upset at the moment. Please try not to take anything he says or does at the moment to heart."

Remus swallowed. "What's wr-wrong with h-him?" he asked before he could stop himself, cursing under his breath when Lily grimaced. It wasn't any of his business, was it? He wasn't part of this group, no matter how much he might want to be. He needed to get that through his head.

"It isn't my place to say," Lily answered quietly, sighing again, then sending him another gentle smile and reaching over to pat his hand. "Just try to remember that it isn't your fault, all right? Sirius feels too much at the best of times, and often reacts without thinking. He needs time to process after, often rather dramatically. James'll sort him out. He knows how to handle Sirius when he's like this."

 _And I don't,_ Remus thought, unable to help the way he started like a nervous cat when another crash echoed over the music. The thought was surprisingly depressing. He'd thought Sirius was his friend.

Shouldn't you be able to help your friends when they were having trouble? Shouldn't they be able to rely on you for that?

Some friend he was.

The music stopped again an hour later. Remus and Lily were on their second cuppa, Lily steadily munching her way through a bag of salt and vinegar crisps, when Sirius's bedroom door opened. Remus hurriedly looked away from Sirius's retreating back heading for the bathroom, then just as rapidly zipped his gaze away from James when he stepped out onto the balcony. James sighed and scrubbed at his face hard, wrapping Lily up in his arm when she went to him.

He looked like he'd been hit by a ten-tonne lorry.

"I think we'll be okay now," he said, voice quiet, leaning down to press a kiss to Lily's hair. Remus bit his lip and stared into his mug, refusing to meet his eyes when he felt James's gaze fall on him. "All right, mate?"

Shrugging halfheartedly, Remus threw back the last of his tea. "I'm fine," he mumbled, setting the mug down and getting to his feet. "If y-you'll ex-excuse me, I'm going t-to h-head to b-bed. You can s-see yourself-lf out?"

Not waiting for an answer, he edged his way past the embracing couple and practically ran for his room, the sound of the shower filling the empty silence the music had left in its wake as he changed into pyjamas. His head was a mess of thoughts; memories, regrets, self-deprecation, irritation at Sirius for making him feel this way and guilt for being irritated, all turning his mind into a boggy swamp of unwanted emotion. Burying himself under his covers, Remus closed his eyes. He honestly didn't know what to do with himself, the way he was feeling, or the situation.

This was supposed to be a new beginning. So why was he still so entrenched in the past?


	13. Chapter 13

**Sharp Teeth**

 **Disclaimer:** Harry Potter ain't mine, peeps. Nope. Not at all.

 **A/N –** My darling readers, hey there! Because your lovely comments have inspired me, I give you a bloody quick update that has escaped its word count boundaries! xD Enjoy!

 _This was supposed to be a new beginning. So why was he still so entrenched in the past?_

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen**

* * *

"So it's still Iceland, then?"

Remus set his end of the duchess down with a sigh. He and Peter had spent most of that Saturday moving not only the brand new bedroom set Peter had splurged on, but also a few other bits and bobs he'd dragged to London with him, into his room in the flat he was sharing. It had taken a lot of fast talking to get the landlord to allow him to bring his own furniture, as the room was supposed to have come already furnished. But if there was one thing Peter Pettigrew was good at, it was being persuasive.

The lad could wheedle his way into – or out of – practically anything.

"Iceland is green, Pete," Remus pointed out, pushing the duchess back against the wall. He was hoping that this would be the last time they moved the bloody thing. Wormtail was a fussy little shit when he wanted to be.

"You know what I mean. You gonna answer the question or continue to avoid it?"

Remus grimaced. "Can I avoid it?"

"Nope," Peter answered cheerfully, walking over to slap him on the back and grinning when Remus scowled at him. "Come on, I think this'll do for the moment. I reckon I could do with a pint."

"Anywhere but Lily's," Remus said, then flushed when Pete raised a silent brow. He rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. "Just… can we go-o somewhere where w-we might _not_ run into h-him?"

"Remus. You live with him."

"Yeah, and how long _that's_ going to carry on is anyone's guess," Remus muttered, pressing his lips together and looking away from the far too probing stare of his best mate. "I want a beer. Get your arse m-moving, you lazy sod."

Peter didn't say anything as they walked out to hop into his car and head into the city. Remus sat in the passenger seat and stared at the window somewhat moodily, his elbow resting on the edge of the window, his hand propping up his head. The moving truck had left an hour before, and Remus knew he'd used the need to direct the hired delivery guys as a way to get out of talking about Sirius.

He didn't _want_ to talk about Sirius. He didn't want to think about the situation at all.

The rest of the week hadn't been very pleasant. Sirius had already been up and out of the flat when Remus had gotten up for school on the Wednesday morning, and although he'd been home when Remus had gotten back, he still hadn't spoken to him. He had, however, looked like he'd _wanted_ to speak to him, and only hadn't because hesitance had been riding him hard. Remus had taken one look at his expression, his body leaning forward contrasting the way his mouth had opened and then closed again, eyes flickering, and had escaped to his room.

He didn't want to talk _to_ Sirius, as much as he didn't want to talk _about_ him.

He didn't want Sirius to talk to him either.

Good thing Sirius hadn't tried again, then, wasn't it?

It was stupid. He was pissed off, at Sirius, at the situation, at himself, and he knew he was being ridiculous for being pissed off. He's the one who'd made the mistake. But he couldn't, for the life of him, get the fact that Sirius Black had acted like a moron and made him feel like complete and utter shite, out of his head.

Who was right in the situation? He didn't know. Was anyone?

Why in the hell did he have to _like_ the bloke, for Christ's sake?!

"Here do?"

Remus looked up. "Yeah, fine," he said, not really caring where they were. He hadn't spoken to Lily in the last few days either, and he wasn't sure whether than was deliberate or not on his part. Friends stuck together, though, didn't they? She'd be on Sirius's side.

 _Sides? Moony, mate, get your head out of your arse. There ain't no bloody sides!_

He frowned. Why the fuck was Peter in his head when the physical person was right there next to him?

Once inside the pub, Remus didn't really pay attention to his surroundings until Peter came back from the bar with two very full glasses in his hands, plonking them down on the table hard enough to spill some across Remus's wrist. Remus jumped and drew his hand back, wiping his wrist on his jeans and glaring at his mate.

"Careful you don't look like you've pissed yourself," Peter said, sitting down opposite Remus and lifting the glass to take a long gulp, then setting it aside and leaning forward on his forearms across the table. "Now, spill. Gimme the goss, lad."

Remus snorted and took a pull of his own drink. "'The goss'? What're we, teenage girls?"

"No, we're manly men who talk about the shit that's bothering other manly men. Mainly, their best mates' shit. Talk to me, Remus. Please?"

His stomach knotting, Remus wrapped his hands around his glass and frowned out at the interior of the pub. The place was bigger than _The Brightest Star_ , or Lily's as he'd taken to calling it, with three times as many patrons and twice as many staff. Music played louder than it did at Lily's, the multiple conversations louder still, and Remus found himself disliking the bordering-on-rowdy atmosphere very much, which was surprising due to the fact that he and Wormtail had galloped off to their local mainly _for_ the rowdiness before he'd moved to London.

His lips thinned. Things changed.

They wouldn't be having more than one drink here.

"I just thought I was better," he said, the words coming before his brain told him they were going to. Remus grumbled under his breath and scowled into his drink, rather put out at the world. Peter sat back.

"Better?" he repeated slowly, cocking his head. Remus's shoulders hunched.

"Thought I was f-feeling better. M-more me. It's pathetic."

Peter's expression turned thoughtful. He took another swallow of his pint, then set it back on the table and laced his fingers across his ample stomach, still looking at Remus. "Why is it a race?" he asked eventually, eyes steady when Remus's head came up. "I mean, think about it, Moony. It isn't a competition you've suddenly found out you've lost. Your ex is a poncy-arsed, daft-headed wanker who messed with your head and fucked you around in more ways than one. You're not just going to get over that all of a sudden, no matter if you _do_ think you're better, or feeling better." He leant forward again, reaching across the table to wrap his hand around and squeeze tight Remus's fingers clutching at his glass. "Give yourself a break, mate. These things take time, yeah?"

Remus stared. "Where the fuck did all this wisdom shit come from?" he blurted finally, grinning a little when Peter burst out laughing. The boom of sound echoed over the music/multiple conversations mix, and Remus felt just a bit better. He sighed, groaning quietly and bending over to bonk his forehead softly on the table. "I'm being a right pillock about this, aren't I?"

"Nah, mate," Peter said, still laughing and squeezing his hand a second time. "Pretty sure this's normal. 'Course, I could be wrong. Only person I've ever loved is you." He shrugged one shoulder and grinned, unrepentant, picking up his beer again when Remus snorted against the wood and sat back with another long sigh. "So, how's the willy, then? Healing up good?"

His laughter rang through the pub once more as Remus hissed " _Peter_!" and started glancing around furtively, mortally afraid they'd been overheard. Fucking prick.

Peter Pettigrew was going to be the death of him, Remus was sure of it.

~0~

Remus didn't get back to the flat until the following morning.

"You'll talk to him?" Peter prodded as he dropped him off. They'd gone back to Peter's flat after they'd finished their drinks, and had ended up christening said flat with Peter's flatmates and a few more drinks – enough that Remus had crashed on the couch Peter had somehow managed to stuff into his cluttered, horribly overflowing bedroom.

"Yeah, yeah," Remus groused, yawning and shifting his glasses up to rub his eyes with the heels of his hands. "Fucking beat. Your s-sofa's shit, mate."

Peter shook his head and lunged across Remus to open his door, shoving his passenger back into the seat and making his glasses spear across his face crookedly. "Well it isn't actually meant to be slept on, is it? Get inside and talk to pretty boy, you great nong. Don't make me follow you in."

"Tosspot," Remus muttered, fixing his glasses before undoing his seatbelt and hopping out of the car. "I'll talk to you later. Hope your f-first day doesn't go arse over tit."

"Such encouragement you give me, I am so grateful," Peter drawled as Remus shut the door and turned towards the flat. "Go, talk, make it right. Wait, Remus!"

Remus groaned and turned back around, annoyed. "What, Wormtail?! You just told me to go, for shit's sake!"

Peter grinned sunnily. "Good luck, mate," he said, meaning it, then pulled out onto the road again before Remus could answer.

 _Gonna need it, aren't I?_ Remus thought, his lips twisting. He didn't have a clue how he should've been feeling as he walked up the steps and unlocked the front door, moving through to his bedroom quickly so that he could check on Minerva, change her litter box and refill her water and food bowls. The slowly healing tabby meowed up at him as he completed his tasks, purring when he paused to scratch her ear.

He needed to sort out a vet appointment soon, damn it all.

"We can't go anywhere, can we?" Remus muttered to the curled-up cat, closing the closet again with a sigh. "Nah, we can't. Not at all."

He was going to have to talk to Sirius. If he wanted them to go, he'd have to convince him to give them another shot.

Remus hoped to hell he didn't want them to go.

"Oh, hey, you're home."

Starting at the voice and then cursing himself for being so sodding jumpy, Remus spun around to see Sirius standing in his doorway. With surprisingly anxious eyes and a smile flickering briefly across his face, Sirius stepped back, waving an invite out into the main room.

"Do you think we could talk? It won't take long, we just… need to talk."

 _Fuck._

"U-um, s-sur-re," Remus stuttered, exiting his room quickly and only just catching the way Sirius frowned as his head dropped on its own accord. He followed his could-be, maybe soon-to-be ex-landlord over to the sofa and sat cautiously, right on the edge of the cushion.

Neither spoke. For the longest time.

Remus had never felt more uncomfortable.

"I owe you an apology." Sirius's quiet voice broke the silence, unexpected enough that it made Remus jerk and lift his head. Sirius looked tired, although not nearly as tired as he had the previous weekend, and somehow small, perched on the edge of the cushion much like Remus was. Remus swallowed thickly and shook his head, looking down once again.

His nails were very dirty. He should clean them.

"No, I-I d-do. Shit-t, Si-sirius, I'm s-s-sorry. I should've never… I'm r-really sor-r-ry. I-I can-n move out if-f you-"

"What? No!"

Startled by the outburst, Remus looked up in time to see Sirius surge to his feet and begin to pace, his movements sharp and punchy as he tread a fast path from one end of the room to the other. Remus watched wordlessly, a little bewildered.

He _didn't_ want him to move out?

Why not?

"Fuck, I was afraid of this. James said I needed to talk to you, that I'd spooked you a bit and needed to sort it out-"

 _Spooked?_ Indignation shot up Remus's spine, making him sit up straighter. He wasn't _spooked_!

"-but I thought it might've been best to give it a little time. I've made it worse instead, haven't I?" He stopped suddenly, turning to Remus in such a rapid movement that his hair swung out around his shoulders. "Remus, _you_ don't need to apologise! I do! I'm really fucking sorry I spoke to you the way I did, that I acted the way I did. I was a right arsehole and I'm bloody sorry for it. It's only that… fuck. I haven't told you much about my family, have I?"

The energy left him in an abrupt rush, and Sirius folded up like a handwritten letter crumpled into a ball, the contents displeasing and thoroughly unwanted. He sat, looking defeated, and Remus held his tongue and waited as his flatmate took some time to gather himself, the insult he felt from the earlier comment fading.

His family? What about them?

Sirius's breath shook when he released it. Remus frowned.

This wasn't right.

"Um, so, my family and childhood was... yeah. Ah, yeah, it wasn't the best. Fucking hell, there's a goddamn understatement."

Remus licked his lips. "Y-you don't h-have t-to tell me if you you d-don't-t want to."

Sirius's smile was a bit weak when he looked at him, but it was there. "I know, mate. I'm not going to talk much about it, because, frankly, I can't. Can't get it out, and I don't really want to. I will, however, tell you that it all came to a head when I was sixteen and I ran away from that shithole of nastiness and hate. Ran to Prongs's, actually. Dorea and Charlus, his mum and dad, took me in, and I never looked back."

He laughed some. There was no humour in the sound. Remus's heart slammed, his nails biting into the palms of his hands resting on his knees, knuckles going white.

"Well, I like to think I've never looked back. But see, the buggers just won't let me alone," Sirius said, rubbing the back of his neck and for some reason, looking sheepish. "That's what you walked in on. My ' _mother'_ -" he air-quoted the word, stressing it so that the sarcasm bit, "-paid her annual, duty-fulfilling visit the morning of the day you and Lils went adventuring. It always sends me off into a tailspin when nothing much else does. You've no idea how sorry I am that you got caught up in it, Remus. None at all. I'm so bloody sorry, and I wish I could tell you that it won't happen again. But I can't say that and it sucks."

Remus didn't know what to say. He'd known _something_ was wrong, that there had to have been _something_ putting Sirius in such a shit of a mood. He just hadn't been expecting… that.

At all.

"Rem?"

"Are your paintings very private?" Remus spoke without thinking, then cringed when surprise lit Sirius's eyes. "S-sorry. I w-walked into your r-room-m without your permission. I shouldn't h-have done that. I'm s-sorry t-too."

It took a moment, but slowly, Sirius grinned. Remus blinked a number of times when he stuck his hand out, peering down at the appendage as if he wasn't sure what it was.

"How's this? I'll accept your apology if you accept mine, don't move out, and let me show you what I paint. Deal?"

Shock had the fists Remus's hands had formed loosening. "Oh. Um. I-I c-can-n see them?"

"'Course, mate," Sirius grinned, not looking nearly as off-kilter now, "'cause you're special, you are. Gonna leave me hanging?"

He wiggled the fingers of the hand he was still holding out. Remus stared at it and nibbled his bottom lip, more than a little overwhelmed.

He didn't want him to move out.

 _He didn't want him to move out._

And it hadn't just been his fault. Sirius had taken some of the blame. He'd actually stepped up and _taking some of the blame._

 _Well. Right, then._

"Yeah, okay," he breathed, looking up and sending his _still_ flatmate a tentative smile. "Okay. U-um. I can accept those t-terms."

"Good!" Sirius laughed as they shook hands, pumping Remus's arm firmly and then getting to his feet. "Come on, come see! I'm pretty damn good, if I do say so myself!"

"Ego much?" Remus countered, grinning a little. His grin grew when, again, Sirius looked a bit stupefied for a moment before laughing loudly.

Rising as well, Remus found himself chuckling right along with him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Sharp Teeth**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own it, I don't make money from it. I have proof of this.

 **A/N –** Because you guys were wonderful enough to nominate this story for awards again, I give you the next chapter! Enjoy! *blows kiss*

 _Rising as well, Remus found himself chuckling right along with him._

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen**

* * *

When Sirius had said that he was pretty damn good, he sure as shit hadn't been kidding.

Walking into his bedroom was like walking into a rip in reality. Remus had seen Sirius's paintings before, of course, but he hadn't known what to expect then – he hadn't even known the paintings existed. That had been like a blow to the head, a stunning and unexplained smack in the face that'd knocked him to his arse and left him dizzy, shocked, and more than a little confounded.

This left him searching for breath.

Sirius gave them power. The colours and the strokes and the energy fairly sprang from the canvases already, but seeing Sirius standing in front of them, _knowing_ that he'd painted them, that their presence and significance – because fuck if they didn't have _significance_ – had come from the man standing with his hands folded across his chest and grinning at him… Remus couldn't find his lungs. The urge to draw in oxygen just wasn't there. Swallowing hard, he took two, very careful steps further into the room, eyes flicking rapidly between Sirius and the canvases.

Eventually, however, Sirius's building frown made him focus completely on the canvases.

He'd lost his lungs again.

"I started painting when I was five," his flatmate said quietly, keeping his place in the middle of the room. Remus could feel his eyes on his back as he slowly took in the art. It made him want to roll his shoulders. "I had a fight with my brother and decided that, as revenge, I was going to steal his fingerpaints our nanny had gotten him for his birthday, paint the dining hall walls and blame it on him. I'd never touched any type of paint or crayons or anything like that before in my life, as it wasn't appropriate for the heir of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black – yes, they really did call themselves that. Still do," he said with a grin when Remus threw him a quick look of heavy disbelief. "They're all proper and very posh, and completely up themselves, my family is. Think the sun shines out their arses. Anyway, I'd never so much as drawn a stick figure, but I was intent on getting my brother into trouble. I ended up getting myself into trouble instead."

He sighed. Remus darted another glance at him, then followed his gaze to the unfinished canvas sitting on the easel in the corner. Even with hardly anything on it, what was there still had presence.

And emotion. So much emotion.

Talent streamed from this lad's pores, it seemed.

"The colours are magic. I'd never believed in magic until then. It was a ridiculous concept, and I was _much_ too old to get swallowed up in fantasy and make believe – or so my mother told me. But the colours… I couldn't wrap my head around their magic. They spoke to me in a way I still have trouble comprehending. I lost track of time, lost track of everything, really, and ended up getting the tanning of my life when my father found me. But it was worth it."

His smile was easy when he looked at Remus again. A strange sort of niggling took up under Remus's breastbone, fading only when he focused back on the canvases.

No, that was a lie. It got _stronger_ when he looked at the canvases. Remus's brows dipped in displeasure.

"I drew and painted and coloured and did everything I could in secret, just to have that magic back, from then on. Managed to convince Moira that it was imperative she buy _me_ paints and _not_ Regulus, and just… kinda fell. Dorea and Charlus encouraged me in every way possible when I moved in with them. It's my life. I honestly don't know where I'd be without it."

This time, Remus's glance was considering. "You're pretty m-much an open b-book, aren't you?"

Sirius grinned a little and shrugged one shoulder. "Only with certain people. Don't ever forget that you're special, Rem, yeah? I want you to know me."

His grin turned slightly suggestive, eyebrows wiggling, and a huff of laughter escaped Remus against his will. "You're s-such a dork."

"One of my better qualities!" Sirius laughed. Remus's answering grin held a slight tremble before it firmed to flash quickly across his face. He straightened and took a final look around the room, pressing the heel of his hand to his sternum. He couldn't get over how _good_ it all was. Bloody Nora. Why wasn't it on display at some hoity-toity art museum?

Sirius's lips pursed when he asked that question. "I don't know if I want others to see it," he said, following Remus to the door. "I mean, some of it's a tad confronting. Would you want to put yourself out there that way?"

"You just sh-showed m-me," Remus pointed out, heading for the kitchen, his flatmate taking a seat on the couch in the living room. If there was ever a time for a cup of tea, it was now. He needed to settle his nerves a little. "How is that different?"

"Yes. But like I said, you're special."

Remus's head snapped around. There wasn't anything on the surface of Sirius's face to indicate that that statement was more than just that: a statement of fact. Even a thorough, narrow-eyed search of his expression didn't produce anything but believable innocence, and Remus turned back to the boiling kettle with something like confusion twisting his insides.

The man baffled him.

Time for a change in subject.

"I-I've got t-to take Minerva t-to the vet-t for a checkup soon. Do you know one in-n the a-area?

"Sure, I can give you a couple of names. Do you want me to come with you?"

"Dammit, Sirius."

"What?" Sirius asked, leaning forward with his forearms on his knees and frowning again. His hair falling in his face didn't help how adorably confused he looked, and Remus sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.

 _Fuck me._

"Nothing, don't w-worry about it. Ah, I was going to s-suggest… Indian? The other n-night. Do you want…?"

"Tonight? Absolutely. I'll bring it home? I gotta go 'round and let Prongs know that I've apologised to you. Twatwaffle's been on my back about it."

He muttered the last part, another frown marring his brow. Remus picked up his mug and took a long sip.

"Twatwaffle's a decent guy. Pity the g-good ones are always t-taken."

Silence met that comment.

Then finally: "erm… what?"

Remus grinned into his cup. Take that, fucking niggle.

~0~

It took a good week for Remus to be comfortable in his flatmate's company again. It was ingrained in him to tiptoe around a problem he'd caused, no matter if he actually was the cause of the problem or not. He spent half the week calling himself all kinds of fool for acting so predictably and not being able to just be bloody _normal_ , for God's sake, then the other half repeating what Peter had said to him in the pub. It wasn't a race he had to win. He needed to stop expecting himself to be better just because some time had passed.

He needed to stop expecting himself to be better as a whole. He wasn't sick, was he? He didn't know how to define the word 'better' in his situation – and fuck if he didn't hate the fact that he'd landed himself in a _situation_ – so why was he using it in the first place?

He just wanted to be himself. Before Barty.

Was that even possible?

Sirius didn't seem to have any objections to Remus's awkwardness. Despite spending a fair amount of time in his room with the door closed – a sign Remus now knew meant his muse was active – he was as easy going as ever when he did venture out. Remus did notice, however, that he seemed to be giving him a wide berth when in the same room as Remus. More of a physical berth than a mental, with him choosing the furthest away seat at the end of the evening or getting up and leaning back against the rail of the balcony when they ended up sharing the space, it made Remus's overly-active brain wonder if everything really _was_ all right.

Did he actually want Remus to move out and was too polite to say so?

"Moony, the bloke's smart. You don't think he knows that you're not quite comfortable yet and is letting you have the physical space he thinks you need?" Peter suggested when Remus mentioned it to him. They were on their way back to Remus's flat, Peter having met him after he'd finished him shift at the coffee house.

The thought had Remus pausing. After what Sirius had told him about his family and his childhood, it would make sense that he'd recognise, ah, _certain things_. And if he _had_ recognised them and was acting accordingly, well that just…

Fucking hell.

"Why do you seem annoyed by that?" Peter asked as they rounded the final corner. It was late Friday evening and the sun was halfway through setting on a drowsy, rainy day, plunging the city in a greyish-black kind of gloom that matched Remus's mood perfectly. The feeling of wanting to punch something had been hanging over him all week, and the fact that he didn't know _why_ he wished that something be Sirius's perfect face pissed him off all the more.

"I've no bloody clue," Remus grumbled, glaring at the wet pavement, his beanie pulled down low over his ears and his hands stuffed deep in his pockets. "Can't he j-just be… less _him_? He's just so… so… gah! Fucked if I know!"

Stopping at the steps leading up to the front door, Peter turned to Remus and sent him a wide, thoroughly untrustworthy, teeth-showing grin. Remus's senses immediately went on high alert.

"What? Don't you give me that look. I don't like that look!"

Peter leant against the handrail and rested the back of his hand under his chin, batting his eyelashes at Remus. "What look? I've no clue what you're on about, son. I'm just enjoying the fact that my little Remmy has a full blown crush on his flatmate!"

Remus's eyes went wide. "I do not!"

"You do too!" Peter sing-songed, still ginning at him cheerfully. "Moony's got a cr-ush, Moony's got a cr-ush!"

"Be quiet!"

"Moony's got a cr-ush, Moony's got a cr-ush, Moony's got a cr-ush, Moony's got a–"

"Wormtail, shut the fuck up right now!"

Startled into doing exactly that, Peter's mouth clamped shut, and Remus turned away from his friend to probe the darkness surrounding the front of the flat. There was something there, tucked away in the corner between the steps and the wall. He was sure of it.

His hearing was pretty damn sharp.

"Who's there?" he demanded, feeling Peter step up to his back, a solid mass of support in his traditionally bright, garish-looking shirt. "I know someone's there, I heard you. Come out now or I'm calling the police."

The shadows moved. Peter's hand pressing firmly against his spine, Remus took a step forward, and then took two hurried ones back when a body bolted from the shadows, nearly knocking him over. He managed to catch a glimpse of a bone-white face and a streak of dark hair before the person was gone, pelting down the street as if their life depended on it.

"Shit! Who was that? You all right, Moony?"

"I'm fine," Remus answered absently, steadying himself with the help of Peter's arm wrapped around his waist and staring after the fleeing figure. They'd been something about him…? He didn't know what.

Familiar, maybe?

Shrugging it off, he patted Peter's arm to let him know that he really was okay and headed up the step once he'd let him go, Wormtail slowly following. It could have been female for all he knew.

Didn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

"Perhaps you should look at getting extra security around here, mate. Your fancy man can afford it, can't he?"

"Yeah, maybe," Remus answered, not really listening. The door shutting with a soft snick behind them, he headed straight for the kitchen to put the jug on, deliberately ignoring the jumpiness in his stomach. It was best if he just put the would-be intruder/mugger out of his head.

He was gone now, anyway, wasn't he? That was the main thing, really.

Remus told himself that for the rest of the night.


	15. Chapter 15

**Sharp Teeth**

 **Disclaimer:** I make no money, I do not own.

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen**

* * *

"There we go, all set," the gentle giant of a veterinary surgeon said, easing Minerva back on the cold-looking metal table. Remus stood as close as he could, hands held up fretfully, his heart racing faster than he liked. He'd done his research – multiple hours of googling at school, checking review and reference after review and reference, and the man in front of him who defined the words 'tall and broad', his skin the colour of rich, smooth chocolate pudding – and fuck if he hadn't been hanging out with Peter _far_ too often if he was thinking in terms of _food_ , for goodness sake – had come out trumps. His name was Benjamin Brown, and Remus was putting _all_ of his trust in him.

This was Minerva, after all.

The bloke better know what the hell he's on about.

"She's looking good, aren't you, old girl?" Benjamin continued – or 'Benny' as he'd told Remus to call him – smoothing a hand down Minerva's back. The cat didn't protest the stranger's touch, sitting on the table regally, her stub of a tail with it's fresh white bandage pointing towards the ceiling. She turned her head and eyed Remus almost knowingly, as if to say 'happy? Are we done now?', before rising to her feet and walking delicately over to the box he'd brought her to the clinic in.

She only wobbled twice. Remus's heart squeezed so tight, he found it hard to breathe.

"So she's okay?" The words came out strangled – Jesus, where were his lungs when he needed them? – and Remus had to clear his throat before he could speak again. "She's healing up nicely?"

"She's healing up perfectly fine," Benny said with a smile, reaching over to help Minerva into her box. His plate-like palms seemed to swallow her whole, and after turning on the spot twice, the old cat settled into a ball of cat hair and expectation, eyes cracked open to observe her owner. Remus didn't realise how closely he was watching her until one of those plate-like palms settled on his arm, startling him into looking up. "There's no sign of infection at all in the wound, the new skin's all pink and healthy, just as it should be. It's going to scar, but something tells me that the old bird will carry that with an outstanding elegance. Won't you, darling?"

Minerva's gaze flicked to Benny briefly before honing back in on Remus. She bumped her forehead against his fingers when he reached for her, canting her chin so he could scratch where she wanted him to scratch. A rumble began to vibrate against his fingertips.

She was purring.

Fucking hell.

"So, ah, w-we can-n go then-n?" Remus asked, swallowing heavily and not looking anywhere but into the eyes of his pet. When did he turn into such an emotional git? A cat's purr shouldn't make him water up!

 _She almost died, you sentimental prat._

 _I know she did_ , he told Pete's voice in his head, concentrating hard of moving his fingers through soft fur. _But she's just a cat!_

 _Nah, mate. She's yours, isn't she?_

Remus's stomach jumped. _Fuck you, Peter_.

"You can certainly go," Benny said, giving Minerva another quick stroke down her back. "I'll need to see her again in six weeks, just for a final check-up, but after that I don't expect you'll need to come back." Stepping away of the table, he tugged off his gloves and threw them into the wastebasket in the corner of the room before ambling around to Remus's side. "Unless, of course, you want to."

Remus's head sprang up, confusion and not a little panic twisting through his insides. "What are you saying? Will I _need_ to?"

Benny smiled again. Remus's eyes went wide. "Not at all. But I wouldn't mind it if you were in the area and decided to call in."

The man didn't touch him. He didn't reach out, didn't indicate that he wanted to. He didn't take even a single step closer. But all of a sudden the space between them was gone.

Remus's face flamed.

"U-u-u-mm-m, I-I-I-I… a-a-hh-h…"

"Don't worry about it, mate. If you do, you do," Benny said, the invitation in his dark eyes – such a contrast to Sirius's – and where the hell did _that_ thought come from? – fading to easygoing as he seemed to realise just how much he'd startled his client. The deep blue of his scrubs set off the colour of his skin nicely, and Remus blinked and tugged his beanie down further over his ears, nerves dancing an erratic tango. His neck felt like it was on fire. "Just saying that I wouldn't object to a more informal visit. But never you mind about that. The nurse'll give you a refill of Minerva's meds to keep things going as they should, but I don't see there being any issues. Just keep doing what you're doing. She's lucky to have an owner who loves her so much."

He smiled once more, looking as calm and professional as a veterinarian should, and not at all like he'd hit on Remus a moment before. Feeling annoyingly flustered, it took Remus three tries to close the top of Minerva's cage, picking it up and heading for the door at a very quick pace once the thing had decided to work as it should. He could do nothing more than let out a sort of half-grunt, half squeak when Benny called out his farewells, and irritated at himself, he grabbed Minerva's meds and paid for the visit in rapid succession – which was to say, not rapidly at all. He'd stubbed his toe against the edge of the reception desk, nearly dropped the cage because his hands were so sweaty, and walked into the exit door's door frame as he was leaving, before he finally managed to flee the building.

He swore he heard a soft, warm-sounding chuckle follow him out into the carpark.

Skin splotchy and far too warm, Remus spent the ride home on the Tube glaring at the floor, ignoring Minerva's indignant meows at being subjected to the loud, bumpy, rumbling monster they were travelling in. His mind matched his churning gut as he walked in the door of the flat, his emotions a kaleidoscope of conflict even he couldn't identify.

"Remus, mate! There you are! Hey, did you take Professor Minnie to the vet? I said I'd come with you for that."

"I _can_ take care of myself, you know."

Said in a much more forceful tone than he'd intended, the statement had the living room's four occupants looking at him like he'd grown a second head. Grimacing at himself and his less than appealing attitude, Remus let out a small sigh and headed for his bedroom, Minerva's meowing accompaniment masking the fact that he was being followed until the door was pushed open again when he went to close it.

"What's up, grumpy pants?"

"Not now, Dory," Remus said quietly, setting Minerva down and opening her cage to let her out. And of course he opened it on the first try, didn't he?

No good looking men around this time, were there?

Hitting on him, of all the things.

The thought brought both a flush to his still far too hot neck, and a scowl. What on God's green earth had prompted the man to do that?

"Uh, yeah, now," Dorcas said, heading towards the bed and plopping herself down, peering up at Remus. Her dark, notoriously bouncy hair swung around her shoulders, eyes the colour of the sky on a perfectly clear day. Didn't get many of those in London, though, did you? Remus sighed again and sat down in a heap, his eyes closing when he felt Dorcas's arm go around his shoulders.

"Something's wrong. Tell me what it is?"

"I just… it's nothing, really. J-just, erm, a b-bloke. Startled me a bit."

"What'd he do?" Dorcas demanded immediately, fingers tightening around his shoulder, a deep frown pulling at her brow when Remus opened his eyes and looked over. Despite what on anybody else would have been a negative emotion, she looked about as fierce as an angry kitten. It made him smile.

So quick to defend him. He loved her to bits

"Nothing. He just… ah, he h-hit on m-me, and I just… ah, fuck, Dory, it was so bloody _mortifying,_ " he groaned, head falling into his hands. His frown matched Dorcas's when he lifted it again to glare at the snort she didn't even try to stifle. "Are you _laughing_ at me?"

Dorcas grinned and wrapped her other arm around him as well, her forehead falling onto his shoulder. "'Course I'm not, silly billy," she said, voice muffled. Her eyes looked large and dewy when she turned to rest her cheek on him, rubbing against his jumper like the cat calmly cleaning herself in the corner of the room."You make such a big deal out of it. I'm sure it wasn't _that_ bad."

"I walked into the bleeding door. Oi, you are laughing at me!" he protested hotly, pushing to his feet and beginning to pace, glaring at her and the giggles that were making her shoulders shake. Bloody woman. Why was he friends with her? "Stop that! Where's the support, huh? Laughing at my misfortune!"

"You're so bloody cute!" Dorcas cooed, still laughing as she got to her feet and headed towards him, her hands finding her hips when he fled to the opposite side of the room as if attached to a spring. "Where are you going? I wanna hug you!"

Squinty-eyed, his back to the door, Remus watched her with wolf-like intensity. "You're gonna pinch my cheeks."

"Am not!" Dorcas huffed, looking like she wanted to stamp her foot, then grinned a little sheepishly. "All right, maybe a bit. I won't, I swear!" she said, answering his hand on the door handle with her own hands raised in innocence. "Just a hug. Hugs make everything better, yeah?"

Still watching her cautiously – and rightfully so, too; the first time he'd met Dorcas she'd squealed much too loudly and pinched his cheeks, embarrassing him so much it'd given him a lifelong phobia of funky-smelling little old ladies and snapping lobster claws – he took a single slow step away from the door, then another when those fearful pincers stayed planted firmly on her hips. Three more and he was in front of her, his arms sliding around her waist.

He sighed and pulled her closer when hers lifted in return.

"I'm such a noob," he muttered, shoulders sagging into the hug. She smelled like a Jaffa Cake. Remus wondered if she'd actually managed to find a perfume that smelled like her favourite type of biscuit.

"No you're not. You're adorable."

"I slammed my foot into the reception desk and walked smack dab into the bloody door frame," he whined, hiding his face in her neck, his own neck burning once more. "It took me a million tries to get the fucking cat cage closed. He must think me an imbecile."

"Who? The vet?" When Remus nodded miserably, Dorcas lifted her hand to gently pat his back, leading him back over to sit on the bed. "Okay, you're gonna have to fill me in. Start from the beginning?"

She was laughing again when he finished. "You really are the cutest thing, Remmy."

"I'm a dork, is what I am," he muttered. Dorcas chuckled and shook her head.

"Nope, that's me. Dorky Dorcas, didn't you know?" she said, grinning and flexing the muscles of both arms, as if that was her superhero name. "Got branded with that in school, so you can't have it. It's mine. What you are, Remmy, my sweet, sweet friend, is ready to get back on the bandwagon."

"What?" Startled for what felt like the upteenth time that day, Remus stared at her as if _she_ was the one who'd grown the second head. "How the hell do you figure that?"

"I'm an expert in these things," Dorcus answered cheerfully, flicking her hair back over her shoulder and grinning at him. She looked far too excited. Remus groaned under his breath, head once again meeting his palms.

He could see it now. Her trying to set him up with disastrous prospect after disastrous prospect. Running up to every campy-looking lad she saw on the street and asking them if they're single, and if they are, would they be interested in meeting her friend? It'd be a nightmare.

Nope. Wasn't going to happen.

"...and I'm sure we could set up a cute wee first date for you and this vet bloke!"

"No, Dory."

"It'd be wonderful for you two… oh. No?"

Looking up, Remus shook his head. "No. Despite what you think, I'm really not ready to start dating again."

Dorcus blinked a couple of time, and then her eyes narrowed on his face. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Remus said with a firm nod.

"Then why'd you get so thrown off balance when the vet hit on you, huh?"

Remus had to pause for a second at that question. He'd never been very good with the people he found attractive. He blushed far too easily and couldn't get his words out, his stutter making that particular problem so much worse. The only exception to the rule had been Peter, but with Peter it'd been easy – too easy, really. No romance.

Remus liked romance.

So why _had_ he acted like he'd been hit over the head with a dimwit stick?

"He t-took me by s-surprise," he said, not sure who he was trying to convince, himself or Dorcus, and frowning when Dorcus's brows rose pointedly. "Look, can we n-not talk about this? I'm not r-ready yet. Okay?"

"Okay," Dorcus answered at once, her knowing expression disappearing as she got to her feet. "I brought that project over I was telling you about. I thought maybe you could give me a hand with it? The bloody thing makes absolutely no sense."

The figurative step back was a large one. Remus was grateful for it as he checked on Minerva a final time and then followed Dorcus back out into the living room, smiling a brief and awkward apology at James and Lily and not looking at Sirius at all. Because he wasn't ready to start dating again. Not yet.

Maybe not ever.

That familiar bark of laughter scraped slowly down his spine like an inviting caress. He swallowed heavily, ignoring the shiver that traveled through him at the sound, and practically snatched the textbook out of Dorcus's hands, staring at it like it could solve the world's problems.

Hell no, he wasn't.

Wasn't he?


End file.
